A note from interim director Than Saffel
Dear friends of West Virginia University Press,
What a year it has been! We began 2023 with a staff of five, an impressive list of achievements, and an exciting slate of upcoming releases. At the top of my mind as art director were the production of Tolkien Studies Volume 19 and the design challenges of working with the expectation-shattering work the press has become known for—plus the covers, interiors, ads, catalogs and production challenges that I knew were just beyond the horizon.
As events unfolded throughout the spring, summer, and fall, we lost three critical members of our award-winning team. Our funding prospects and staffing became increasingly uncertain. To many, the press’s demise seemed imminent. In that somewhat fraught environment, I offered to step in as interim, hoping that foolish overconfidence and institutional memory would help us to sort through the seeming mountain of challenges facing us.
Taking over and continuing the work of an absolutely top-shelf team of editorial professionals has been a humbling experience, but also one for which I’m grateful. The groundwork laid by Derek Krissoff, Sarah Munroe, and Sara Georgi over the past 8 years, building on that of previous teams, has placed us in the enviable position of having well-crafted and documented processes and partnerships, and remarkable work to publish. I’m also grateful to be working with operations manager Natalie Homer, whose intelligence and patience are an incredible asset to the press.
Still, I don’t think we could sustain this effort if I didn’t feel there was a genuine desire within the university to allow a rebuild to take place. Thankfully, that support has been shown repeatedly in the form of a willingness to talk, to open funding channels, to assign staff to assist with communications, to take advantage of new opportunities outside the university, and most of all, to address our staffing needs with an immediate commitment to hire new talent to build upon all of this good work. I am pleased to say we’ve received well over 200 applications rich with talent for the positions of managing editor and editorial director (editorial director candidates apply here through January 5!), and the selection process for managing editor will begin in earnest January 2.
We certainly face challenges, but I feel that we do so with open eyes and a huge fund of good will from all sides. Future plans include re-opening submissions, much-needed outreach to bookstores, more consistent advertising, improved marketing support for scholarly books, more support for journals, and a diversified social media presence expanding upon our Essential Reading series pioneered by dear friend of the press and force of nature Neema Avashia. We will also solidify a realistic staffing plan that will sustain the press going forward.
What this all comes down to, every day, is the work. The books that we have committed to publish over the next several seasons are characteristic of the surprising and powerful work that has been a hallmark of this press for many years, and they need to be cared for in a way that I think is rather unique to WVU Press. We continue to hear from authors that they feel heard and supported here in a way that allows them to do their best work.
To that point, I’ve asked authors and editors from our previous few seasons to check in with a quick update from the past year. The entries are below, in alphabetic order by author. I’ve inserted the authors’ comments in their own words, with minor edits. Authors with good news to share, please get in touch!
I can’t express my thanks deeply enough to all of those who have reached out in support of the press during this period of some uncertainty. Starting in fall 2024, we will begin our celebration of the press’s 25th year as a scholarly, peer-reviewed university publisher. WVU Press will continue its work, and we who do the work will continue to strive for excellence in everything we do.
Than Saffel / December 2023
Thomas Bredehoft / Foote: A Mystery Novel
In 2023, Foote: A Mystery Novel had its first birthday. Of course, it had a life long before publication, as I think I started drafting it in 2016, after a fateful hike on the Mon River Trail south of Morgantown. It sat for a while on my computer, and then in the early days of the pandemic in 2020, my wife Rosemary (whose book Mountaineers are Always Free was also published by WVU Press) encouraged me to submit it to the Press. Two years later, it was a book, my first fiction publication.
In these digital days, the publication of a novel is a strange experience: nothing is easier, or more troublingly tempting, than to try to track its sales and readership by more or less constant reference to the reviews and ratings on Amazon.com and Goodreads. It was wonderful to see the positive reception of the book on those sites, and I owe a great “thank you” to all the folks who left ratings and reviews—especially the good ones. Even after a year and a half, however, it’s a bit strange to look the book up on Amazon to see that it is the 1,324,451st best-selling book on Amazon—as it is on the morning I am writing this.
It was fun, too, to travel around to bookstores and libraries to do readings and speak with readers and potential readers in person, from Charleston to Wheeling to Shepherdstown. After the isolation of the pandemic, it was a great excuse to get out of the house.
Probably the biggest news about Foote during the year was that it was not only nominated for a Shamus Award (the annual awards of the Private Eye Writers of America) but it actually made the shortlist of five finalists in the “Best first PI novel” category. Since I think of the book as a fantasy novel as much as a mystery (my PI is a bigfoot, after all), I was especially pleased that real mystery writers would even think about putting it on the list of finalists.
In April 2024, I will be heading out to the Left Coast Crime conference, in Seattle, where I am looking forward to the chance to present on a panel with other bigfoot (and, in that part of the world Sasquatch) mystery writers. All of this human activity, no doubt would leave Big Jim bemused—as it has sometimes left me. But I am looking forward, as always, to seeing where Big Jim will lead me next.
Andrea Brower / Seeds of Occupation, Seeds of Possibility: The Agrochemical-GMO Industry in Hawaiʻi
I talked with Spokane Public Radio’s Rebecca White on May 25, 2023 ahead of my reading at Auntie’s Bookstore on Sunday, June 4.
Kristen Gentry / Mama Said
Mama Said, which received a starred Kirkus Review and was named a “Can’t Miss Debut You Should Read This October” by Debutiful, launched at Carmichael’s Bookstore, where in-store copies sold out to a standing room crowd. A glowing shoutout from former Kentucky Poet Laureate Crystal Wilkinson led to strong sales at the Kentucky Book Festival. Mama Said was featured in the November/December issue of Poets & Writers’ Page One and a story from the collection, “A New World,” was selected for Electric Lit’s Recommended Reading, recommended by Deesha Philyaw.
Rebecca Godwin / Community Across Time: Robert Morgan’s Words for Home
- I launched the book with a reading at R.A. Fountain General Store in Fountain, NC, on May 13, 2023. A surprisingly large group of friends and family appeared to listen and buy books.
- On September 19, Barton College hosted a reading in its art gallery, full of faculty, students, and community readers. Again, I sold more books than I expected!
- The book was nominated for the Ragan Old North State Award for Nonfiction, an award given by the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association.
- The book was nominated for the North Caroliniana Book Award. (It did not win either of these awards but appears on the nominee lists.)
- In November 2023, I sold books at the Heritage Museum in Hendersonville, NC, Morgan’s hometown, when he was there reading from his new biography of Edgar Allan Poe.
- I will discuss the book and Morgan’s poetry on February 8 on a Zoom program for Redheaded Stepchild Magazine.
Jason Kapcala / Hungry Town
I am happy to send along achievements for Hungry Town, as follows:
- Silver Medal for the Great Lakes Region in the 2023 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY)
- Short List for the 2023 Chanticleer Clue Book Award (advancing to the semi-finals)
- Read with WVU Press authors Renée K. Nicholson and Amy M. Alvarez, as well as West Virginia poet Randi Ward, at the Lit Youngstown Fall Conference in Youngstown, Ohio
- Featured Reader at Modern Homestead in Reedsville, WV
- Interviewed by Debbi Mack for the Crime Café podcast
Rachel King / Bratwurst Haven
I started off 2023 spreading the word about Bratwurst Haven in Colorado: in February, I had events at Boulder Bookstore, Tattered Cover, and Old Firehouse Books—and I was also featured on the KGNU Radio Bookclub. In April, I was interviewed about Bratwurst Haven by Zaporah Price for One Story, and in May, the Colorado Sun interviewed me and also published “Strangers,” a story from the collection. In June, Bratwurst Haven won the 2023 Colorado Book Award, Literary Fiction, and Bart Schaneman at Boulder Weekly subsequently wrote about the book and this honor.
Davon Loeb / The In-Betweens: A Lyrical Memoir
Since publication, The In-Betweens: A Lyrical Memoir has been featured in numerous magazines, journals, and newspapers, including USA Today, EBONY, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, the Los Angeles Times, Stylecaster, and elsewhere. The In-Betweens was reviewed at Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Adroit Journal, Hippocampus, Southern Review of Books, Jewish Book Council, and Publishers Weekly.
Interviews covering The In-Betweens are available at The Rumpus, Electric Literature, BOMB, Brevity, Daily Kos, The Offing, and Lilith magazine. I have been a guest on the Moms Don’t Have Time to Read and Debutiful podcasts. Excerpts of The In-Betweens have been published by the Los Angeles Times, SLATE, The Sun magazine, The Rumpus, and Longreads.
In addition, The In-Betweens was listed as a best nonfiction title of 2023 at Electric Literature, a most anticipated, a best book, and a best debut of 2023 at Chicago Review of Books, and a best book about finding yourself at Book Riot, as well as other book lists. The In-Betweens was selected as the February book on The Rumpus Book Club.
Scott Mackenzie / The Fifth Border State: Slavery, Emancipation, and the Formation of West Virginia, 1829–1872
Since my book appeared on January 1, I have been impressed by the response.
So far, two academics gave it positive reviews. The Civil War Monitor called it a “thoughtfully researched and lucidly argued” and “a paradigm-shifting study.” H-CivWar interviewed me in March about how I challenged the long-taken-for-granted origins of West Virginia. I made several appearances in and around the state in April and June, giving talks in Charleston, Steubenville, Ohio, Wheeling, Shepherdstown, and Morgantown. I anticipate more in 2024. Many people reached out to me about my book with mostly positive comments. With the Press’s generous help, I applied for several book awards. Please wish us luck! On the whole, I am honored and gratified to see my work so well received.
Kristine Langley Mahler / Curing Season: Artifacts
Reviews:
“Artifacts of Adolescence: Curing Season by Kristine Langley Mahler,” review by Melinda Copp for The Rumpus; “Not Yet Artifacts: On Kristine Langley Mahler’s Curing Season,” review by Maddie Norris for The Millions; “Curing Season: Artifacts by Kristine Langley Mahler,” review by Laura Dennis for MER; “The Sinkhole of Curing Season: A Collaborative Fall to Pieces,” paired book review with myself and Juliet Patterson for The Los Angeles Review; “Curing Season: Artifacts,” review by Kim Kankiewicz for Colorado Review; “Curing Season: A Look at a Lyrical Memoir,” review by Ashley Espinoza for The Good Life Review
Interview:
“Interview with Kristine Langley Mahler,” with Mandana Chaffa for TriQuarterly
I also had three readings at AWP23 in Seattle and guest-lectured at the University of Arizona for a class where Curing Season was taught during spring 2023.
Jessamyn Neuhaus / Picture a Professor: Interrupting Biases about Faculty and Increasing Student Learning
In 2023, I was pleased to be able to add some open access bonus material to Picture a Professor: Interrupting Biases about Faculty and Increasing Student Learning: my introductory bibliography titled “Systemic Inequities Facing Higher Ed Faculty” and my bonus chapter titled “Figuring Out Student Feedback on Teaching: Strategies for Reducing Potential Personal and Professional Harm to Faculty.” Available for download at https://pictureaprofessor.com!
This year I facilitated workshops and gave presentations based on this bonus material and inspired by the work of all the awesome contributors to Picture a Professor, at a number of conferences and institutions. Those events included the POD Network annual conference, the Bright Institute at Knox College, and the Conference on High Impact Instructional Practices at Tennessee State University.
It was also my great pleasure and honor to talk (via Zoom) with faculty learning communities and book groups at colleges and universities such as Colorado Technical University, Dalton State University, and Sacred Heart University, who chose to read and discuss Picture a Professor.
Courtney Sender / In Other Lifetimes All I’ve Lost Comes Back to Me
In Other Lifetimes All I’ve Lost Comes Back to Me was called “a deep and howling portrait of longing and loneliness.” by The Boston Globe, “a stunner from the very first page” by Deesha Philyaw in The Millions, “A profound and deeply funny examination of loneliness in many of its forms” by Emma Copley Eisenberg in Electric Literature, “brilliantly aching and haunting” by Lilith Magazine, and praised for its “willingness to explore primal hurts” by Kirkus and its “intimate worlds [that] explore the hollows of the real and imagined” by Booklist. A Jewish Women’s Archive 2023-2024 Book Club pick, In Other Lifetimes is a love letter to anyone who has ever known longing and loneliness, and anyone who has felt the tenacity of hope. I am available for classroom and book club visits, and will be on Jewish Lit syllabi this spring.
Kelley Shinn / The Wounds that Bind Us
I completed a four month book tour with The Wounds that Bind Us, from Appalachia to New England to New York City, reading everywhere from Hollins University in Roanoke, VA to Colby College in Waterville Maine, and at iconic Independent bookstores such as Malaprops in Asheville, NC to Mac’s Backs Books in Cleveland, OH.
The Wounds that Bind Us has been featured in Kirkus, Southern Review of Books, The Southern Bookseller Review, Mom Egg Review, O. Henry Magazine, the Akron Beacon Journal, the Ocracoke Observer, the upcoming winter issue of the North Carolina Literary Review and was also highlighted by The American Booksellers Association for Disability Pride Month.
It’s been a whirl and a wonder, but the best so far came from a stranger in the mail who wrote, “I’ve long known what empathy and compassion mean, but until The Wounds that Bind Us, I’d never internalized them…you’ve negated several decades of therapy. ;)”
Jasper Waugh-Quasebarth / Finding the Singing Spruce: Musical Instrument Makers and Appalachia’s Mountain Forests
In January, I curated an exhibit based on the research and themes of the book at The Bascom: A Center for the Visual Arts in Highlands, NC. In November, I was interviewed by Todd L. Burns at Music Journalism Insider on the process of bringing Finding the Singing Spruce to fruition. Rhiar Kanouse at the OSU Center for Folklore Studies also conducted a short interview with me that covered the book’s intersection with academic folklore studies. In 2024, I have plans for book talks and readings throughout West Virginia, at Oregon State University, and Harvard University!
Phoebe Wagner and Bronte Christopher Wieland / Almanac for the Anthropocene: A Compendium of Solarpunk Futures
In 2023, Almanac for the Anthropocene: A Compendium of Solarpunk Futures was a nominee for the Utopia Awards presented by the Climate Fiction Conference. The collection also received a lovely review by Ariel Kroon in ISLE: Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment.
Charles Dodd White / A Year Without Months
- The book won the 2023 IPPY Silver Medal for best nonfiction in the Southeast.
- In April I was invited to speak at the University of Kentucky’s Appalachian Center, where I discussed the leap from fiction to nonfiction.