When it came time to choose between literature and the law, Adam Kaz went with the written word. Now the writer, editor, and critic (and regular contributor to Third Coast Review) is pulling together the fourth issue of his arts and literature zine The Ground Is Uneven, and looking for contributors.
Born in Deerfield, but now Chicago-based, Kaz’s decision to pursue writing came at a crossroads in his life. “In the summer of 2019, I was about 10 or 20 days from starting law school, when I experienced a crisis of confidence and re-examined my priorities.” Writing was nothing new to him. He worked as a staff news writer at his alma mater's newspaper, The Daily Illini, and scribbled poetry and fiction on the side. Law school looked less attractive, and he applied for any LinkedIn gig with writer in the title.
“Creative work, I decided, really excited me, and a career in writing, particularly fiction, became the goal.”
But while Kaz had spilled plenty of ink in the writing of short stories, novellas, and poems, he’d yet to have any of it published—or self-published, for that matter. With his career in mind he decided to collect his works and create “a portfolio of short, polished pieces” for potential publishers to review. An old friend, Justin Wilde, suggested creating a collection of flash fiction in zine format he could shop around.
“I was energized by the concept, and Justin—a very talented illustrator and designer—agreed to lend the artwork.” Wilde picked the title The Ground Is Uneven from a list of potential names Kaz presented. The zine went from being a showcase for Kaz’s writing to a multifaceted periodical showing others’ work. Other writers and artists came on board, inspired by the regular “rebranding” of each issue. Creative director Grimm Schapfel stepped in with the second one, giving it a more colorful design, while issue three went monochromatic.
“Every issue features a collection of prose paired with illustrations, and at least one parody advertisement and poem,” continues Kaz. “That’s the minimum. But the zine’s content, because we keep expanding, changes a lot from issue to issue.”
Currently, Kaz is calling for contributors to issue four, seeking flash fiction and nonfiction, poetry, illustrations and photography, and more. In a shocking turn, The Ground Is Uneven performs an uncommon function in zinedom—it pays contributors.
Each issue comes with a different single-word theme to inspire the writers and artists.
“It’s a sort of lighthouse, a word that describes the vibe we want for the issue. Often we’re trying to examine the zeitgeist and pick a term to match the moment.” Appropriately, and perhaps expectedly, the latest theme is defiance.
“It would be dishonest to say that wasn’t the mood of the moment,” says Kaz. But he stresses that contributions needn’t feel constrained by it. “As we like to say, we’re more likely to stretch the theme to fit something we like than cut something we like because it doesn’t match the theme.” Underlining that, Kaz stresses TGIU wants to especially hear from marginalized or underrepresented voices from the BIPOC, LGTBQ+, and disabled communities.
Potential contributors are invited to review previous issues online (TGIU is also a print publication) to get an idea of what’s come before. Find submission requirements here. Submissions remain open until September 23, 2025.
