Small presses have an extended historical past in Philly. In actual fact, publishing is likely one of the metropolis’s oldest industries. Simply three years after its founding, town already had its first printing press. And by the tip of the 18th century, Philadelphia had change into the middle for ebook printing and publishing in all the nation, surpassing New York and Boston.
At present, centuries later, small and unbiased presses proceed to play an important function within the metropolis’s literary and mental panorama.
Very like publishers again then who helped form political discourse when concepts like freedom of speech had been central in conceiving independence from Britain, right this moment’s publishing homes are more and more dedicated to a socially engaged, thought-provoking mission.
To them, the mission doesn’t compromise the standard of content material, however fairly redefines it, prioritizing voices which have lengthy been unheard and making certain that publishing stays an area for significant encounters and dialogue.
Billy Penn spoke with 5 small, unbiased publishers to find out how they’re reshaping this legacy, every with their very own strategy however a shared dedication to selling variety, creativity and sustainability.
We’re sharing our conversations with them as a sequence of articles. That is the second. The primary was with Beehive Books’ co-founder Josh O’Neill.
So, let’s begin the presses!
Might you describe The Head and The Hand?
We’re a small bookstore in addition to an unbiased writer, and we’re a non-profit. In order that mannequin permits us to use for grant funding with a view to help the programming that we do each contained in the bookstore as a brick-and-mortar and simply usually.
We slowly advanced right into a bookstore in addition to a writer simply to kind of change into a spot the place we might each host fascinating programming and to help the literary panorama of Philadelphia. We wished the area wherein to try this and there’s actually no substitute for gathering collectively and listening to work shared. It’s irreplaceable. So we wished to kind of have that as a hub after which the nonprofit resolution was as a result of we knew that it was going to be a problem to be in step with our income stream from gross sales alone from the works that we had been publishing. So we determined to shift that mannequin with a view to change into eligible for grant funding.
Inform us extra concerning the story behind the identify of The Head and The Hand.
The identify of the group is rooted within the concept of “motion follows thought.” So the founder wished to interact with writers who had not only a highly effective voice by way of the standard of the prose that they wrote, but additionally that there was a galvanizing message as nicely … We name it “the ability to spark change and entertain,” combining these two forces collectively.
We’ve advanced alongside into the traces of extra, smaller-scale works that we publish referred to as chapbooks, which allow us to make a balancing act between the bookstore operations in addition to the publishing facet, which we needed to kind of “right-size,” particularly with the pressures that we felt together with the pandemic like so many others.
What obstacles and challenges have you ever confronted alongside the best way?
We’re actually actually lucky to have longtime partnerships with different organizations in Philadelphia within the literary panorama. We had been so lucky to accomplice with Drexel Writers Room, for instance, on publishing collaboration, and we now have a really sturdy tie with Blue Stoop, which runs workshops, writing workshops in Philadelphia … However we additionally acknowledge that unbiased experimental publishing will not be a significant moneymaker. That is very a lot nonetheless a ardour challenge and working on a smaller scale each provides us freedom with a view to make each resolution but additionally … what we grapple with is an consciousness the place you understand it’s at all times been a problem to scale our advertising for the group with a view to give as a lot consciousness round our challenge as attainable.
And I believe too that, as a non-profit, we’re topic to the assessment of granting organizations. It’s a large amount of effort that it takes to guarantee that we’re placing as a lot effort into the grant-writing course of as attainable whereas nonetheless sustaining our collective time and capability.
Why is balancing the bookstore, grant purposes and the publishing course of so necessary to your group?
We’re dedicated to this area. We’ve got renewed our lease on Frankfurt Avenue. We love our group members. Operating the bookstore permits us to keep up a very sturdy tie to each the writers and the publishers in our space. I believe it presents so many alternatives to be taught and collaborate that we might actually must take a step again so as to consider the methods wherein we might kind of pivot to do one or the opposite totally. I believe we’re a hybrid at coronary heart, we need to responsibly proceed and attempt to scale as a lot as attainable whereas sustaining that twin nature.
After greater than a decade within the enterprise, have you ever seen any adjustments in readership or public curiosity in visiting the bookstore?
We don’t have a membership program per se, however we’re actually fortunate to have our common collaborators, each by way of writers and organizations, after which group members who present as much as our occasions, with a substantial amount of consistency and help and love. So we actually couldn’t be extra grateful. We positively nonetheless, as any unbiased bookstore … we aren’t able the place we are able to take any sale with no consideration. Each single present of help issues to us. It actually does, right down to the greenback.
It’s an important second for educating the general public on prime subjects like, whenever you help a small enterprise like ours — whether or not it’s bookstores or one thing else — you’re making a direct impression on the parents who could also be sacrificing a bigger paycheck some place else or are doing it with a view to preserve this id, to make folks really feel like they’re in a particular time and place after they stroll into the bookstore.
We take it very critically. We love working with rising authors, taking an opportunity on of us who might not but have had the prospect to publish … We think about ourselves a launch pad for a lot of authors. As soon as they’ve this primary publication, they’ll then present that to different, maybe bigger, firms and hopefully they’ll proceed on their path towards higher success and recognition.
What varieties of books, authors and subjects do you publish, and might folks attain out if they’ve a challenge in thoughts?
We’ve got labored with a spread of authors. It’s loopy to see a few of the evolutions of a few of our writers. Extra not too long ago, we’ve printed three chapbooks by way of a grant-funded program with Penn Treaty Particular Companies District … We labored in partnership with Taller Puertorriqueño, the Cultural Heart in Kensington. And we had been simply so thrilled to have them come by way of and nominate of us to be printed in our chapbook kind, one in all whom Pthalo … They’re a younger Black queer poet who’s simply extraordinary. One other poet that’s a part of our latest chapbook sequence, Gabriel Ramirez simply acquired a distinction from the American Academy of Poets as nicely.
Are all of the authors based mostly in Philly?
Sure. One of many standards for this latest spherical of publications was that they’ve a significant connection to Philadelphia and neighborhoods in what are referred to as the River Wards — Kensington, Fishtown, Port Richmond and past. It was hyperlocal, connecting artists and writers. We had occasions that had been salon-style the place artists showcased work and writers learn, after which there was a kind of matchmaking that occurred. If somebody sparked to the aesthetic of an artist and a author, and vice versa, they mentioned, “I want to work with this individual.” After which that artist can be accountable for the duvet artwork of the chap ebook. It simply labored out in a manner that was so great and the experiment was actually greater than we might have requested for.
Do you assume it’s a coincidence that The Head and The Hand exists in Philly, given town’s lengthy historical past with publishing?
Our founder, Nic Esposito, did use the almanac mannequin as inspiration for one in all our first publications. It was an anthology referred to as “The Rust Belt Rising Almanac.” It really had the phrase almanac in its identify in a nod to “Poor Richard’s Almanac.” We went to the Rosenbach Museum and dealt with the copies that they’ve there within the archives. We took benefit of being in a metropolis the place we might entry these assets and wished to take that precedent actually critically with this anthology celebrating how creativity can take root when an trade passes on … And Philadelphia is counted amongst these locations the place the trade is not right here, however then inventive industries could make one thing new.
How do concepts like unbiased publishing and freedom affect your work right this moment?
I simply assume it’s a secure area the place we welcome pluralism and need to have a good time identities. When folks have a reality and it’s expressed by way of a medium that’s inventive, that’s celebratory. We need to have a good time that and oh my god, it’s so necessary to us and it makes me emotional proper now, truthfully. That inclusivity is one thing we try to disclose to everybody that comes into contact with us. It’s on the core of what retains us going. It hurts to think about that that sense of inclusivity is someway counter to what’s taking place within the present administration. However that’s “Effectively, OK then.” That’s the place we are going to preserve.
What invitation would you want to increase to our readers?
Exit into your group and search out the locations [like] bookstores, [which] are a kind of locations the place inclusivity issues. Discover these kindred spirits and do what you may to help them by both displaying up, supporting financially if it’s attainable, however in any other case like simply being an individual that occupies that area in solidarity is a very great act if that’s one thing that you simply’re in a position to do.