Jay Dubberly
36 | Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Zig Zag Lit Mag
Residence: Addison
Career Highlights: Easy: creating a community of writers and artists. Zig Zag has published over 200 locals, many of whom are seeing their names in print for the first time.
Community Involvement: My community involvement includes running the Addison County Writers Company, founding Zig Zag Lit Mag, and volunteering writing classes at local libraries or via Zoom.
The Addison Co. Writers Co. is a weekly writing group that has led to publication (poems galore, memoirs, novellas, plays, songs, more) for dozens of members. We currently have a rotating cast of some of Addison County’s best silver-tongued ne’er-do-wells.
What motivated you to live and work in Vermont: Picked it on a map. Stayed ’cause it’s good.
Most inspiring mentor and why: My most inspiring mentor is—well, I’m gonna cheat on this answer. My most inspiring mentor is a litany of grey-haired women from Vermont. Mary Arbuckle, Linda Harmon, Serena Kim, Jane Spencer, and, of course, Diane Dubberly.
What is the best career advice: The best career advice I have received is “you don’t know what you like, you like what you know. So know more.”
Favorite Vermont escape: My favorite Vermont escape is my favorite because people don’t know about it or read about it in business magazines.
Favorite downtime activity: Film. I’ve seen about 400 films a year, every year since finishing grad school—so that’s damn-near 6,000 films since 2014.
Person you would most like to share a Vermont beverage with: The person I’d most like to share a Vermont beverage with is Tom Waits. I’d rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.
If you had unlimited access to funds, which cause(s) would you support: The cause I would support is making abortion safe and legal. If someone gave me a briefcase that shone like gold, I’d give it to Planned Parenthood in Middlebury.
What one song is on your playlist that are you embarrassed to tell your best friend: The song on my playlist that I would be embarrassed to tell my best friend is absolutely none. I feel no embarrassment over things that bring me joy.
What’s the ideal next move for you in your career: Getting a play put up locally.
Drawing on your experiences, what advice would you give to someone looking to get involved in community service: Vermont, as a state, has less of a population than Boston. It’s a big, beautiful green city we all live in, where everything and everyone matters. I started what became the Addison County Writers Company less than 24 hours after moving to Vermont . . . what are you waiting for?