sentences:  Once he decided to start the magazine, Smirnoff wrote letters to American writers like John Updike, Richard Ford, Charles Bukowski, and William Steig to ask for contributions to the magazine.As a result, many writers donated work to the debut issue without requiring payment.Financed entirely through credit cards, donations from Smirnoff's friends and family, the magazine's debut issue was published on Saturday, March 14, 1992.