A letter from the Editor, February 2008

I’m delighted to announce that on January 1, 2009, Ausable Press will join forces with Copper Canyon Press, the largest poetry publisher in the United States. Although a formal announcement will not be made for another few months, the rumors have been flying (some of them quite wildly inaccurate). Here’s what’s actually happening.

Over the last two years, Michael Wiegers, Executive Director and Editor of Copper Canyon, and I have been discussing the future of Ausable. When I started the Press in 1999, I pledged ten years of my life. In that time, we’ve grown from a one-person operation to a much bigger business; five wonderful people now share the work. Because poetry is a notorious money-loser, we’ve had to work very hard to make ends meet. In 2005 we became a not-for-profit corporation so that we could accept donations and apply for grants. Thanks to the generosity of donors and foundations, we’ve been able to continue our work, but more and more of my time is now taken up by fundraising and other matters unrelated to finding, acquiring, and editing books. As I approach my sixties, I realize that there are many things I’ve been unable to do that I would like to do.

Copper Canyon has always been a model for Ausable. I greatly admire their poets, their energy and enthusiasm, and their beautiful books. I can’t imagine a better match and feel very lucky to have entered into this marriage with them. They will honor all Ausable contracts, keep the books in print, advertise them in their catalog and on their web site, and treat our authors as if they were their own. I will become Editor-at-Large, and all future titles will be published under the Copper Canyon imprint.

Ausable Press will publish nine books in 2008 (see New & Forthcoming). These will be the last books published under the Ausable imprint. Our final volume will be An Ausable Reader, showcasing the work of all of our poets—a decade of poetry against the current.

Ausable Press offices will remain open through 2009 to make certain that the transition goes smoothly.

Many people have asked what will happen to our open submissions policy once we join Copper Canyon. The answer is that it has not yet been decided. Please check our web site for updates.

It has been a profound pleasure doing this work. I will miss the daily interaction with poets from all over the globe, not to mention the excitement of following our authors’ books as they make their way in the world. Thanks to all of you who have made our efforts possible.

On a final note, I’d like to say something about the future of poetry publishing. Starting a press is something I always wanted to do, but for financial reasons was unable to until new technology made it possible. Nowadays, with print-on-demand (now almost indistinguishable in quality from traditionally-produced paperbacks), and the magic tools of the internet, it’s possible for someone to start a small press for a few thousand dollars. There’s no money in it, of course; it’s a labor of love. It’s my hope that the editors of the future will find in themselves the kind of passion that will make them do something as irrational, irresistible, and fulfilling as the publishing of poetry. The world desperately needs it.

Chase Twichell