OmniDawn first came into my view via ‘Paraspheres,’ a collection of New Fabulist fiction that was wonderfully unique. But their bread and butter, their poetry title list is simply amazing in terms of variety and depth and breadth. If you get on their mailing list — and you should — then you’ll find yourself exposed to an ever-growing world of new voices in poetry, writers who take themselves and their work seriously.
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Ken Keegan and Rusty Morrison
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What’s more, OmniDawn is an old-fashioned press that is using modern technology to up the ante. They take submissions through their website. They have blogs and the above-mentioned mailing list. They operate out of Richmond, California as if they were in New York, New York. They are unapologetically prolific.
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The OmniDawn Team
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I gave Rusty Morrison a call to talk to her about her work as an editor and publisher, because frankly, I thought they might have gone under years ago. I got the bonus of talking to Ken Keegan as well. This hasn’t been the sort of publishing climate where you’d expect the explosion of work you see from OmniDawn. The larger houses would probably spend more on catering for a major author event than I am estimating OmniDawn spends in a year for like, everything. You can hear how a successful poetry publisher makes it day-to-day by following this link to the MP3 audio file.
I had thought during this reading period to be stayed, in silence …
but just now … having listened to the audio interview with Rusty, Ken — to hear them speak on such a range of passionate concerns is to hear a two mingled voices of such unity, clarion purpose, joy, praise/generosity … heart of an enterprise … ‘many ingenious lovely things” … respect for the artist … for language itself rising up out of each single sensibility … more than kudos. Hearing is enough to make the eyes brim … only imagine. And such books: Richter on the cover of Bin Ramke’s amazing book. Revell’s translations. The Holderlin fragments. Richard Greenfield … I should not cite, for fear of omission … yet, it should be remarked. In a once-great tradition of husband-wife publishers … and the amazing Craig Santos Perez, multi-tasker extraordinaire. There is no wilderness here but jubilation. Here for yourself. And in these troubled times, never more clamored for by those who, knowing, know the art of their necessities. The news to be found in poetry is never more needed. Bouquets. Salud.
Ardent admirer. Avid reader. Obsessed writer. Camerado on the open road. Sandra
Woe. I am too rapid. The hour was already bearing down. I may be excused some few first fine careless raptures mis-typed? I did not proof. It is the drowsing hour. Those who are wakeful … should listen now, in the time of solitude and contemplation. What is there to be said? Everything. From my post-prandial jot book. Night revels. ::ss