NA: I
only recently heard of Gold Wake Press.
Where are you located? How long have you been in operation? And are you the founding editor?
JMW: Gold Wake Press is
located in the suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts. We started off publishing
e-chaps on the web in 2008 and moved to print in 2010. Yes, I am the founding
editor.
NA: What
inspired you to want to be the editor of an independent press?
JMW: My experience of having
my first book published was inspiring to me because it was such a smooth
process. I wanted to provide an outlet for first time authors as well as
established writers.
NA: How
would you describe Gold Wake Press? What
makes it unique?
JMW: I would lean towards the
lyrical, and experimental within and outside of the boundaries of poetry. We
are unique in that we only publish around 4-6 titles per year, so we have to be
fairly selective, and the books themselves though different may share common
structures.
NA: How did you come up with the name, Gold Wake?
JMW: Gold Wake comes from a
line in my first published book, Silent
Actor. I was searching for meaning within the poem itself, & asked what
I should do. I believe I was thinking of Moses parting the seas at the time,
though I forget. It’s a nice image. Also, I think the name can be a general
metaphor for “good news.” If there’s a Black Ocean, there’s got to be a Gold
Wake.
NA: Do
you run book contests or solicit manuscripts?
JMW: Once in a while I
solicit a manuscript if I’ve been following a writer’s style online for a
while. I did so with Evan Kennedy’s Shoo-Ins
to Ruin. I saw a poem of his in the Brooklyn Rail and offered publication
of a full-length collection of his.
NA: What
kind of writer do you hope to publish?
Or, asked another way, if you could publish three established poets, who
would they be?
JMW: Darcie Dennigan, Sandra
Beasley & Mary Ann Samyn
NA: And
how would you describe the kind of poetry you are not interested in publishing?
JMW: A lot of people shy away
from greeting card verse. I dislike heavily emotional poetry.
NA: I heard of Gold Wake Press from Kristina Marie
Darling who has a new book coming out with you, X Marks the Dress. It’s a
book she co-authored with Carol Guess. I
was wondering if you could talk a little bit about the book?
JMW: Sure. X Marks the Dress is a very unique book
in its structure and titles. The poem titles are all objects from a wedding
registry and the book flows in a storytelling mode until a house fire comes at
the end. The form of the text follows suit, ending with fragments of words and
poems that depict as a house fire would.
NA: What
are some of the happiest or proudest moments for the press? Feel free to provide links to reviews,
events, readings, etc.
JMW:For me, AWP 2013 was
great because it was in Boston so I was able to represent the press (a bit) at
the table and the reading at Trident Booksellers. Kathleen Rooney’s poems from
Robinson Alone were selected by the Poetry Foundation. This was an apex. Three
of her poems are featured on their website. (http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/kathleen-rooney#about)
NA: I
was thinking it would be nice to end with a poem from a Gold Wake author.
JMW: This poem is from X
Marks the Dress: A Registry by Kristina Marie Darling & Carol Guess.
{Cups
& Saucers}
My
tea stains came from your picnic. Now
the kettle boils & shrieks. Tomorrow
you'll fasten your diamond cufflinks & leave me disheveled, waiting: torn
dress, wilted corsage, clutching a few dollars for a cab. When I open the door I feel a little old for
a trinket or flowers pressed in a book.
But I should warn you: there are always mementos, & I've only begun
my collection. Before long I'll enshrine
you on a red satin pillow. I'll display
your former self in a glass cabinet.
Jared Michael Wahlgren is a
publisher for Gold Wake Press. He is author of Silent Actor (Bewrite Books, 2008), Valency (Blazevox [books], 2010) & CREDO
(Greying Ghost).
Nin Andrews received her BA from Hamilton College
and her MFA from Vermont College. The recipient of two Ohio Arts Council
grants, she is the author of several books including The
Book of Orgasms, Spontaneous Breasts, Why They Grow Wings, Midlife
Crisis with Dick and Jane, Sleeping with Houdini, and Dear Professor, Do
You Live in a Vacuum. She also edited Someone Wants to Steal My Name, a book of translations of the French poet, Henri Michaux. Her book, Southern Comfort was published by CavanKerry Press in 2010. Follow Nin's blog here. Follow Nin on Twitter here.