Imagine we are in an alternate history where the main event at the Hay-on-Wye literary festival is the long-awaited guest editor interview. BBC Four cameras are in position. Scribes from "The Guardian", "The Daily telegraph" and "The New York Times" have pens and phones poised. Allen Ashley welcomes a glowing Rachel Kendall to the stage and promises to chat for half an hour or so but then throw the discussion open to the audience, which is: you lot, regular "Sein" contributors. So… this will be the first half of this issue's special twentieth anniversary interview with our glorious leader Ms Kendall. In a second instalment, we will present the topics that have greatly exercised the readership.

So, let's kick off by taking us all back in time:

Allen - Why did you start "Sein und Werden" back in 2004? What were your ambitions for the magazine back then?

Rachel - I started "Sein" for a couple of reasons. On a personal level I was in a complicated place emotionally. I'd been in Paris the previous summer and since coming back to the UK I couldn't make any sense out of things; I couldn't write. But I needed an outlet, so I decided to start a zine and it kick-started my writing process whilst also putting me in contact with many other artists.

On an editorial level, I felt there weren't many zines out there publishing experimental material. It all seemed to be safe, neatly stackable content that didn't blur any lines between genres or styles. And I wasn't just looking for genre-bending zines; I wanted to find somewhere that would accept a more stylised form of prose, a blurring of mediums, something more fun and innovative. In the end I had to create my own. My aim with "Sein" was to amalgamate a collection of pieces that complemented each other whether through disparity or similarity. I feel more like a curator than an editor in this way. I see every issue as a single 'installation' if you like. Also, at the time of its inception I was reading a lot of ISMS manifestos and I was into Dogme 95 and the idea of setting limitations in film-making. Later I learned about Oulipo, a form of paring one's work right down through certain constraints and it became a theme in the spring 2014 issue of "Sein". That one was fun.

Allen - What have been your favourite moments / the best things you have published over the years?

Rachel - I have to say my favourite moment was having the zine shortlisted for a British Fantasy Society award in 2015. It was a great honour for me. Other favourite moments occur when submissions become conversations that teach me new things, new words, new concepts, new artists, movements, rules.

Regarding the best things I've published, that's a difficult one. I think it would probably be some of the artwork because, as someone who dabbles in art and far exceeds the lowest depths of her expectations, I am in awe of anyone with that creative talent. I don't want to name names because I don't want to leave anyone out. All the submissions I accept are fantastic.

Allen - On the other side of the coin, are there any good editing tales that you can share - e.g. authors responding to rejection in, shall we say, an ill-advised manner, or submissions you have received that were inappropriate?

Rachel - I can't think of any good editing tales that stand out, but there have been a few tantrums when I've not accepted work. There has understandably been a presumption of nepotism. But I have a certain aesthetic and I don't want to compromise that, because I want to stay true to my reasons for starting the zine in the first place. I have often rejected material by friends, by respected peers, authors I've accepted in the past, and there are other writers and artists whose work I've accepted time and time again because they just seem to get what I'm after. And I continue to accept work from new writers who also seem to 'get' the zine. Some of these artists only submit once and I'd love them to send more of their work. And, of course, as this is a web zine, the acceptance of one piece of work does not take away an opportunity for someone else. The web is a pretty big pie and there are enough slices for everyone.

Allen - Over the years, you have broken the mould in the way "Sein" has been presented. This was a particularly notable feature of the print version. I'm thinking of, for example, the issue with the hand-threaded wool binding "The Unnatural World" (2012, guest edited by me). What has been your favourite so far? And what feedback did you get from readers?

Rachel - I love playing around with the presentation. The web zine has evolved over the years to become cleaner, clearer, less cluttered by busy backgrounds and the need to fill the space. Personally, I like busy, I like maximalism, but I also appreciate that a writer wants their work to be readable, especially on various devices. The zine started out just on the web in 2004 but I felt with my technical lack and the limitations of presentation, I'd be able to do more with the physical configurations of a printed zine, so I began that in 2006. But I kept the web zine going as well to keep its presence out there. I have loved creating the printed zine and was able to make use of certain perks of working in a library for the copying and collating of it. I don't think I have a favourite, but I did like the "Rejectamenta" issue which came sealed in a paper bag, and the "Bauhaus" issue which was a painstaking job of cutting out the content to stick into little spiral bound A6 size notebooks. My plan for the final print issue was to have some kind of map-related theme and I had planned to present it folded up kind of like an OS map to be opened out into a single large piece. It was optimistic and never came to fruition sadly.

When I was creating a print zine alongside the web zine, I was very aware of maximising the space because of cost and because a really chunky zine is very hard to staple! (hence alternate fastening devices). But that thinking also goes with the DIY zine-making, the scrambling together of fantastic work. It's like, this is all so good I don't want to leave anything out. Looking back at the old web issues I see that they were produced in a similar way and over the years I have tried to untangle that a little. But it's hard. I have this compulsion to mix and match pieces, put them on the same page, let them complement each other. Some submitters have fed back that they don't like that, however, so how far does one go in keeping with the integrity of the zine and keeping contributors happy?

Allen - Having straddled the evolution from print magazine to ezine, you are well placed to speak about the advantages / disadvantages of each. In an ideal world, which format would you plump for and why?

Rachel - There are many pros and cons for each. The web zine can afford much better images. The detail in this image, for instance, one of my favourites by Spyros Heniadis, would have been lost in print form (kissthewitch.co.uk) and other media of course, including video, spoken word, moving image such as this gif by B Drew Collier for the "Cinematic". And links, of course. One thing a print issue cannot provide is that instantaneity of further content. Well, I guess there are QR codes for that, but that's beyond me and they don't look very attractive. There is that. Then there is the reach of the web, that it can stretch out its tendrils so far. For all that though, I would love to have been able to continue with the print format and if I had to choose one, I would plump for that. I guess I like the hands-on technique and the harking back to music zines, manifestoes, political pamphlets, the do-it-yourself culture. There's something covert and troublesome about the hastily thrown-together zine that I love.

Allen - How has the focus of "Sein" changed / evolved over the years? What next for the publication?

Rachel - I think in a way the zine has evolved alongside my own evolution as a reader, if that makes sense. The material I sought originally was a lot darker in both horror and sexual content but I've moved away from the more intense subjects now. Or perhaps I'm still into the dark stuff but I prefer it to be masked behind eloquence.

It has also changed according to my own needs and capabilities. Obviously, a lot happens in 20 years so changes in different aspects of my life meant I had to adapt, readjust so I could still get the zine out there, but perhaps with guest editors, the cutting down of submission periods and regularity of output.

What next? I don't know. I don't have any concrete plans. I mean, it would be lovely to start up Sein und Werden Books (formally ISMs Press) again so that I could publish some longer pieces. Also, I'd love to have the time to be able to write reviews again, but time is not something I have much of at the moment. I have tried in the past to get people on board with writing reviews but there's always been a lack of interest there.

Allen - Each issue of "Sein" is themed. Do you ever worry that you'll run out of themes?

Rachel - I actually note down any theme ideas I get for future use, so I have a list pinned to a noticeboard that's travelled with me from house to house. It's easier now the zine is bi-annual rather than quarterly. As long as I keep reading I think I will have inspiration for themes. Usually it's just a quote, a phrase or expression that gets me thinking.

I like to leave the themes open to interpretation. I find it really interesting how people twist the more subtle themes into different shapes. Also themes that require audience participation are fun, such as the "Collaboration" issue, and the "Exquisite Corpse" issue which was a written-word take on the Surrealist game.

Allen - Any advice to someone reading this who might be thinking of launching their own ezine?

Be organised, be diligent, be patient… Don't expect all contributors to read the guidelines. Triple check everything. And get your contributors to check their work. It's pretty easy to edit mistakes online, but it's still embarrassing when you, for instance, attribute someone's work to the wrong person (ahem) or completely forget to include a piece already accepted (cough cough). But also, have fun, be respectful, and stick to your guns.

Allen - What is / are the key factors a potential fiction writer / artist / poet / video film maker should consider if they want to get into "Sein"?

Read the guidelines. I know they're a bit wordy but if you can just read the basics about how to submit, that just makes things so much easier.  And please, please, please include your name on the attached document. And in your email, because sometimes email addresses and actual names don't match up. (Allen notes: Yep, faced that problem when editing. Why do people do this?)

That's the basic stuff. Subject-wise, I don't like cliches, unless you're ironically using cliches in which case, go for it. I like verbosity. A lot of editors don't but I have a slight word infatuation. Clever word use is a much greater turn on for me than a good story. I also like dark subject matter and I like a kind of playfulness. I like work that doesn't take itself too seriously. 

Allen: Thank you very much, Rachel, for your informative answers. We're going to take a little break now before we take a swathe of questions from our loyal audience.
Then, please head on over to "Power to the People"!