Today the creative writing class visited Copper Canyon Press, one of the premier poetry publishers in the country. And lucky for us, the press was just steps away from our classroom door.
There we met Joseph Bednarik, who gave us an overview of how the press selects books and the creative transformation from manuscript to bookstore inhabitant, complete with cover art, the perfectly selected typeface, and flawless copy.
The press publishes on average 18 books a year. Yearly, about 2,500 to 3,000 poetry books are published in the United States, Joseph explained. The students were able to take a look at a manuscript in process with editorial notes between the poet and copy editor as they collectively shape the book into its final form.
The students walked away with souvenir buttons – the press’s logo that combines the Chinese characters “word” and “temple.” Also, they left with copies of the press’ catalogue, essentially an anthology that includes poems from the fifty most recent titles.
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