About PressPress
PressPress is a poetry publisher. It is probably the smallest publisher in the known universe. The aim of PressPress is to have good, accessible chapbooks at a reasonable price. It's a bit idealistic, but then, so is writing poetry in a time of fire.
Poetry in a time of fire is the unofficial motto of PressPress. Poetry is what people are interested in. If you're startled by this, you haven't been paying attention. Most people, at some time in their lives, have written a poem or two (usually more). This is something you can't say of novels, or tv scripts or even cartoons. Poetry is a universal thing, like music. We're not quite clear on why we do it but it seems to be one of things human creatures do.
Go to PressPress poets by clicking on the Chapbooks link and following your nose. You'll find details of their publication, background, some reviews, photos and a sample of their work. Enjoy.
Chapbook Award short-list and winner
As promised, here is the short list for the 2010 Chapbook Award:
B.R.Dionysius The negativity bin
Howard Firkin Semele
Stephen Lawrence Chemical Events
Vanessa Page Memory Bone
Vanessa Roberts Tram Scribbles
Tim Sinclair Re: reading the dictionary
and the winner is:
B.R.Dionysius The negativity bin
with a great manuscript. Watch this space for more information about when the chapbook will appear and which shortlisted chapbooks will come out when.
Newest chapbooks
berni m janssen lake & vale
The two works that make up this collection are deeply reflective with a highly idiosyncratic use of language which those who know janssen’s work will be pleased to see on the page.
Chris Mansell The view from a beach
A gentle, reflection on the sea and (lost) love. A quietly humorous poem in 30 small parts.
Barbara Orlowska-Westwood
Orlowska-Westwood speaks from her experience and those of her Polish family in this sure, personal and political work.
Jeanine Leane’s Dark Secrets: After Dreaming (AD) 1887-1961
A hard-hitting uncompromising look at white inscription of black history and experience in Australia. Leane’s work is direct, clear-eyed and pulls no punches.
Ouyang Yu’s White and Yu
White and Yu is Yu’s first chapbook with PressPress but one of the very many books of poetry from the well-known this poet. Intense, spare and original.
Sandra Thibodeaux’s Extinctions
Thibodeaux’s second collection, Extinctions, from PressPress. Intense and lyrical.
Anne Elvey’s Claimed by Country
Elvey’s new chapbook, Claimed by Country, grabs you with its visceral images; beguiles with its grace. Just released.
Lizz Murphy’s Six hundred dollars
Murphy’s new chapbook, Six Hundred Dollars, with its short and pithy poems, is a steal at $9.90! Just released.
Kit Kelen’s The Whole Forest Dances -
simultaneous translations
In an innovative move, PressPress has issued Kit Kelen’s The Whole Forest Dancing simultaneously in English and translations in Chinese, Portuguese and Italian. We’re hoping that this will be the first of many of these adventures into languages other than English. Go to his page to read more.
The PressPress blog, Twitter and Facebook
We have decided to close down the Blusterhead writers’ resource site and incorporate all the listings and information into the PressPress blog. This is more interactive and easier to maintain. News, reviews, information and links are all there. Have a look and follow if you feel like it, at presspressblog.blogspot.com. You can also follow us on at presspresscomau on Twitter or on our Facebook page.
How to submit
Because PressPress is small and the chapbooks are only available through this site or at readings, we ask that you buy at least one title so that you have a good idea of what the chapbooks are (while supporting the press you want to support you).
After that, make an enquiry via email with one sample poem and then maybe we'll ask for more if it's the sort of thing we're interested in. Be prepared to wait, for an answer and for publication. Or not. Sometimes we're fast, mostly we're not.
PressPress prefers to have all submissions received digitally. Hardcopy submissions without return postage will be thoroughly and thoughtfully recycled.
Contact
email: info@presspress.com.au
PressPress
PO Box 94
Berry NSW 2535
Australia
© PressPress, Chris Mansell & individual poets and translators. Email info@presspress.com.au in the first instance for permission to reproduce content or images. See the Copyright Terms of Use page. Last updated: 3 July 2010