Activist Poetry – Igneus Press

by deb Ewing

Here’s how it happened, in more-or-less chronological order:

I met Steve & Kristi Nebel online at the FAR-West Campfire * virtual song circles. I fell in love with Kristi’s voice. I also fell in love with the entire community, and ended up at the FAR-West 2023 conference in person as emcee for Susanne Millsaps Memorial Coffeehouse. At some point, Steve Nebel materialized with his poetry chapbook in hand, aimed in my general direction. I had to reciprocate. A month or so later, Steve asked me if I’d like to interview for Sound Poetry**.

I am vain. Of course I would. Here’s the interview, which I will post before I have a chance to decide I said something I regret. Not that I would.

Sound Poetry – Deb Ewing Part 1

*Campfires are held on Zoom every 2nd & 4th Tuesday. You can sing, or you can play, or you can listen. Register and come over!

**Radio Tacoma 101.9 FM is home to Sound Poetry. There is so much good here. Check it out!

***You can own a piece of me if you pick up a copy of Entangled: a collaboration across time and space, here at Igneus Press! My little book mycelium. xPoetry is available through laundry room press at Amazon.

We’ve been living and learning our purpose as a publisher, and came across a great website talking about “9 Questions to Ask a Publisher.” We decided to answer these questions for you here on the Igneus Press blog, a few at a time.

So here goes:

Igneus Press 2023 offerings:
Creative Death, by Jack Foley
Forest Lawn Poems, by Gerry Crinnin

#1 What are your company values?

At Igneus Press, we value diverse works that have compassion for the human condition. We champion diversity within cultures, cross-cultural dialogue, and integration of different parts of cultural experience, like poetry with science, or art and literature.

Igneus Press 2023 offering:
Literature and Modern China (Sichuan University College of Literature and Journalism academic journal)

# 2. Who is your target audience?

Igneus Press’s answer: Our target audience are readers of poetry, scholars of literature, and art enthusiasts who think deeply, feel strongly, and are looking for answers to the tough questions.

Igneus Press 2023 offering:
Creative Death, by Jack Foley

#3. How does your editing process work?

Igneus Press’s answer: We’re a bespoke press. If the poet, artist, or organization has a strong sense that their words and the order these words are in is pitch perfect, and we agree that the book, catalog, or journal is ready to go…then we don’t do much to it beyond basic formatting to fit the text in with our typographic aesthetic. However, there are writers and organizations that enjoy dialog with editors, and are looking for engagement, feedback, and ideas about how to make the book, catalog, or journal even better. Then we’re more hands on.

…

So what about you?

What are your values as a writer, scholar, artist, or organization looking to publish a book?

Are you our type of target audience?

And what level of engagement are you looking for in your editor or publisher?

Leave your comments below!

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