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| Posted 12.20.06 |
Wesleyan University Press Receives NEA Grant for Poetry
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Wesleyan University Press will be the recipient
of a $20,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The grant was
awarded “for the publication, promotion and distribution of new collections
of poetry.”
The press requested support for the
publication and promotion of 12 poetry books that will be published in the
Wesleyan Poetry Series in 2007 and 2008. Forthcoming titles to be covered by
the grant include New and Collected Poems by Barbara Guest, a new
edition of Victor Segalen’s modernist classic Stèles, and Zong
by Marlene NourbeSe Philip.
“We are delighted that the NEA is recognizing the importance of Wesleyan’s
program, explains Suzanne Tamminen, director of Wesleyan University Press.
“Their support will not only help us cover publishing costs; it will aid in
our marketing efforts,”
 Leslie
Starr, assistant director and marketing manager, says a portion of the NEA
funds will go towards the press’s Web site development. The press hopes to
reach a larger student audience, and to increase the course adoption of its
poetry books by utilizing the Web.
To this end, new Web pages will be designed for a select group of Wesleyan
poetry books, specifically to enhance their usefulness in the classroom
setting.
“These pages will provide context for the books, links to author interviews,
reviews, and audio clips, as well as essay topics and suggested further
reading,” Tamminen says.
The Press’s staff consists of Tamminen, Starr, Stephanie Elliott, publicist;
and Eric Levy, senior editor. Their office is located at 215 Long Lane in
Middletown, across from the Physical Plant building.
Wesleyan University Press is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2007. The
press is best known for its poetry series, which has included such notable
poets as James Dickey, James Wright, Robert Bly, Marge Piercy, Ellen Bryant
Voigt and Yusef Komunyakaa, among others.
The press has continued the tradition of publishing top-notch poetry, having
won the 2004 National Book Award for poetry, for Jean Valentine’s Door in
the Mountain: New and Collected Poems, 1965–2003, and the 2006
International Griffin Poetry Prize, for Kamau Brathwaite’s Born to Slow
Horses.
For more information visit
http://www.wesleyan.edu/wespress/.
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By Olivia Bartlett, The Wesleyan Connection
editor |
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