[stylist] more info on a publisher

[John Lee Clark]

Cindy:

It's a good thought and thank you for the suggestion.

Based on the blind poets I have read so far, neither a contemporary
anthology or a definitive one would be a fit for Sarabande.  It is a nice
publisher, but better suited for single-poet collections.  The quality of a
contemporary anthology would not be that high, and a definitive one would be
a bit more academic, since it'd include old and decidedly unfresh work from
blind poets whose dust we are inhaling.

Is there a university press that likes to publish blind-related titles?
That would be one possibility.

Another is the one I first suggested, Library of America's James Merrill
Poets Series.  But the collection would need to be highly streamlined--only
fifty poems or less by maybe twenty poets or less, but must be drawn from
comprehensive sources.

A looser anthology, not so strict in its standards, could go with any number
of publishers.

But maybe before we can discern the true viability of an anthology is to
find if there are solid contemporary poems.  Because that will decide
whether either a definitive or a contemporary collection is worth it.  While
the old stuff in a definitive anthology is interesting, what really decides
its value is its contemporary offerings.  If we happen to find a ton of
really strong modern poems, it is possible we'll have enough for just a
modern anthology.  But the poems have to be really, really good.

I have yet to read ANY contemporary blind poet's work other than my own and
other deafblind ones.  

Do you know of ANY living blind poet who has published a book?  I've Googled
on this before but found nothing.  I'll Google again.

John



-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of slery
Sent: Saturday, April 04, 2009 11:32 AM
To: 'Writer's Division Mailing List'
Subject: [stylist] more info on a publisher

I really think Sarabande Books would be a great place to approach with this
project if we decide it is worth pursuing.

Here is a bit from their website regarding what they look for:



Every publisher has its own mission. To maintain the integrity of our house
and the quality of our offerings in poetry, fiction, and creative
nonfiction, the Sarabande editors make their selections based on a set of
guidelines. As detailed below, we look to:

   1. Publish only the highest quality writing. As encapsulated in the
qualities of the sarabande dance that is our namesake, we seek work that has
stylistic sophistication with a wild underside. It should expresses an
urgency of subject matter in fresh, startling language.
   2. Publish debut collections. Sarabande has served well as a launching
pad for writers who then go on to publish with mainstream publishers.
Examples include Kate Walbert, who published her story collection Where She
Went with us and then sold her novel to Scribner. After Lee Martin's short
story collection The Least You Need to Know won our Mary McCarthy Prize, he
sold both a novel and a memoir to Dutton. The poets Cate Marvin, Thomas
Heise, and Karen An-Hwei Lee are further examples.
   3. Publish revivals and comebacks--writers who have been passed over by
mainstream publishers, who have lost their publishers, whose careers could
use a mid-life boost, or who are re-entering the writing world again after
many years. Examples of this include Eleanor Lerman's The Mystery of Meteors
and Joan Silber's In My Other Life.
   4. Publish subsequent books by previous Sarabande authors. It has always
been one of our goals to provide a "home" for writers, provided the
collection meets our standards for excellent writing.
   5. Give the highly talented but unpolished writer a chance with more
editorial help than is generally offered at most literary publishers.
   6. Offer a balance of gender, race, and sexual identity in our subject
matter.
   7. Offer a list with stylistic diversity. This keeps people guessing and
sustains interest in the press. Our range includes "experimental" poetry
(Michael Burkard's Unsleeping; Karen An-hwei Lee's In Medias Res), narrative
and formal poetry (Mark Jarman's To the Green Man), minimalist, imagistic
short fiction (Kiki Delancey's Coal Miner's Holiday; William Tester's Head),
lush, baroque prose (Joseph Caldwell's Bread for the Baker's Child),
novelistic short stories (Mary Ann Taylor-Hall's How She Knows What She
Knows About Yo-yos), and experimental fiction (Ander Monson's Other
Electricities, stories; Yolanda Barnes' When It Burned to the Ground, a
novel).
   8. Stubbornly resist publishing trends in favor of stylistic diversity.
   9. Take into account, all other things being equal, a manuscript's sales
potential and its potential to reach the widest audience for fiction,
poetry, or creative nonfiction.
  10. Foster a good relationship with each writer. We are a small house that
works very closely with our authors. If an author is willing to work hard
for a book, we promise to match his or her enthusiasm.



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