You’re sitting around with your friends at a local dive bar. The beer and the conversation are flowing. It’s late, and you start thinking of those “let’s-pursue-our-dreams” things you should all do together. Maybe it’s “we should start a band,” or “we should run the Marine Corps marathon” or “we should all knock over a convenience store.” Whatever.

Usually nothing ever comes of it, perhaps a good thing, on occasion. The convo digresses, you all forget about it. The next time that happens, think of the editors of Barrelhouse.

A few years ago, some friends, fellow students in the local Johns Hopkins writing program, were sitting around a table at The Big Hunt, having a few beers and lamenting their plight as writers: it seemed that the kinds of stuff they were interested in writing – stories, essays and poems that understood how blurred the lines between popular and high culture had become, stories that were quirky, tongue-in-cheek, and self-aware as pieces of writing, and, most important, stories that were irreverent and funny – didn’t fit anywhere, particularly in most of the staid, all-too-high-minded literary journals that tend to crop up around university writing programs.

Somewhere during an evening the idea to start their own literary journal germinated. But rather than chalk the suggestion up to beer and dissatisfaction, the idea took root. Only a few months later, Barrelhouse was born, first online, and later as an actual print journal.

It quickly established itself as a refuge for area writers reared on McSweeney’s (indeed, Barrelhouse could easily be McSweeney’s younger brother) where irreverence and humor take precedence over traditional literary forums. And not only has the journal showcased terrific writing, it’s also managed to publish interviews with literary types, as well as those not normally associated with the literary world: singer-songwriter-muse-to-Gram Parsons Emmylou Harris, Chuck Klosterman, former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman, Malcolm Gladwell, and Craig Finn of The Hold Steady.

This Saturday, Barrelhouse will host a launch party for the fifth issue of its print version, starting at 7 p.m. Since issue five’s theme is “dive bars,” it’s only fitting that its celebration be held at one of the diviest, Steve’s Barroom, 1337 Connecticut Ave. NW (each Barrelhouse issue has a theme that links both stories and inside art; the recently devoted an entire issue, thematically, to Patrick Swayze, though well before Swayze’s health problems became public. And at the end of every interview, they ask the subject what his or her favorite Patrick Swayze movie is, a practice they plan to continue out of love). Five dollars gets you in, but $8 gets you in plus a copy of the issue.

This isn't a wine and cheese party. In keeping with Barrelhouse’s lack of pretention, once inside there’ll be burlesque dancers, as well as DJ Will Eastman of Blisspop fame, with Kylos splashing multimedia on the walls.

DCist sat down briefly with one of the editors of Barrelhouse, Aaron Pease, to get his take on this issue and on Barrelhouse-y things to come:

Five issues. Did you ever think it would make it this far?

We haven’t killed each other yet, but there’s always something each of us really enjoy in each issue, which I think is a great thing. I’m more worried about the money….fingers crossed for nonprofit approval!!

What kinds of surprises and stories lay in store for readers of Barrelhouse #5?

Stories about weird guys and possibly weirder mothers by Jim Ruland and Ryan Call. Four dive bar themed essays. Interviews with Patterson Hood of the Drive By Truckers and innovative independent filmmaker Lance Weiler. Lyrics to the Barrelhouse Power Ballad, which I encourage any and all of you to put to music, and a pretty awesome illustrated story about a SnowDad. And let’s not forget the poetry, which is so hot right now – including Ada Limon and Terrance Hayes.

Why is this issue devoted to dive bars?

We pretty much started in a dive bar, and we all come from areas of the US of A (like Eastern Ohio and Central PA) where the word for dive bar is simply: Bar.

While we're on the topic, what are your favorites in D.C. (not counting The Big Hunt, of course)?

There’s Dan’s Cafe, Deedles, Fox and Hounds, Jay’s Saloon and the Royal Lee in Arlington, Southside 815 in Alexandria, Townhouse Tavern, and my own favorite, the now defunct Chick Hall’s Surf Club in Bladensburg. Great live country music. I was also a huge fan of Childe Harold, don’t know if that’s a dive bar, but it’s a place where alcoholics of all ages could drink in peace. Southside is probably not a dive bar either, but I drank there a lot when I lived 2 blocks away from it. Great food, too.

What's next on the agenda for Barrelhouse? Calling for submissions? On what "theme?"

Our next issue is going to have a roller derby theme. It will be awesome. We already have the stories, though.

Barrelhouse #5 Issue Launch. Saturday, April 19 from 6 to 10 p.m. Steve's Barroom,
1337 Connecticut Ave. NW. Five dollar cover at the door, or $8 with a copy of Issue #5.