I have an obvious affinity to Swan Scythe Press, being that they published my second chapbook, “Aluminum Times,” nearly 10 years ago. When I won their chapbook contest in 2001, I didn’t expect my book to come out in such high quality. When I think chapbook, like most people, I think of a publication with low publication costs. Not that that’s a bad thing. A low-cost, low-print run is what gives a chapbook its underground feel. Although I had just started as a writer at the time, I hadn’t seen chapbooks like Swan Scythe’s. They had a glossy color cover and professionally designed interiors. I’m open to anyone arguing against this point, but I feel that Swan Scythe Press set the standard for chapbooks to look more and more professional. Their trailblazing, mixed with the newly emerging access to desktop publishing programs, gave way for many small small presses to put out gorgeously designed chapbooks. I didn’t expect for Swan Scythe to quickly build it’s reputation as fast as it did. The very fact that it had the great poet Sandra McPherson as its editor publishing out of UC Davis gave the press an even higher profile and ethos. Swan Scythe published quality work from diverse poets who’ve gone on to publish, to acclaim, their first books with small presses: Maria Melendez, A. Loudermilk, Karen An-hwei Lee, and Emmy Perez.
I’m not a Swan Scythe Press historian, but I believe SSP started around the year 2000 and ran to about 2003 or 2004, publishing about some 20 odd books. Sandy McPherson then took a few hits around that time that led the press to go defunct for a few years. The biggest his was the death of her husband, poet Walter Pavlich. Within a year or two, in the midst of grieving her loss, Sandy put out the Walter Pavlich Memorial anthology, How To Be This Poems, an anthology of poems about masculinity. Shortly thereafter though, there were changes in the curriculum at UC Davis that took away college credit from internships like the ones SSP relied on to operate. The final blow was when Sandy’s webmaster for the SSP site could no longer maintain it. The SSP website was the last symbol for a working press.
Swan Scythe Press was all but defunct. In about 2005, Sandy sent out an e-mail inquiring if there might be anyone interested in buying the press, which entailed buying the name and the remaining stock of chapbooks. For a few years now, SSP’s coveted chapbook contest had ceased (there were no interns to read the manuscripts) as well any publications outside the very few “Editor’s choices.” Something happened that Sandy decided to retract her press from the market. It was my understanding that she had found someone to continue maintaining the SSP website, which of course was the life-blood for sales.
But then curiously, in the summer of 2009, I received emails from a third party stating that they were going to buy the remaining stock of SSP chapbooks and if we, the authors, were interested in buying our books at a discount. I had already bought out my print run years back, therefore their solicitation did not affect me. These third parties gave no indication as to what their plans were–were they just booksellers with the ability to move these books and finally lay the press to rest? Was I seeing the deathblow happening? In an alternate universe, had these events–tragic and otherwise–not happened to Sandy McPherson, Swan Scythe Press would have been a flagship in the chapbook publication circle.
Then in early January of this year, I receive an email from Jame DenBoer, a poet and, who I believe to be a bookseller, working out of Sacramento. In his email, he inquires if there are any Swan Scythe Press authors nearby willing to come read at the Sacrament Library in honor of Sandy McPherson. In the event he is also to talk about what he’s going to do with Swan Scythe Press in the future. It seems like Swan Scythe Press has a new editor and most likely a new direction. So this time it is not a phoenix, but a swan that rises from the ashes. I’ll let the press realease below fill you in on the rest:
Swan Scythe Press Celebration
Planned for March 3, 2010
Sacramento CA, Feb. 1, 2010 — A special event is planned for March 3, 2010, from 6 pm-7:30 pm, at the Central Library, 828 I Street, in the Sacramento Room, celebrating the first decade of Swan Scythe Press, which has published 26 poetry chapbooks from 2000-2009.
Founding Editor Sandra McPherson has passed along direction of the Press to local poet James DenBoer, who will continue the highly-regarded publication of Swan Scythe books. McPherson and DenBoer are both widely-published poets, and have received grants, fellowships and awards for their work.
The event, called “Celebrating the First Decade, Launching the Next” will be hosted by Sacramento Poet Laureate Bob Stanley, and will include short talks by Sandra McPherson on her initial vision for the Press, and on its history during the first decade.
James DenBoer will outline some of his plans for the future of the Press, which will include the continuation of the annual Swan Scythe Press Chapbook contest (now open to submissions until the deadline of June 1, 2010), publication of another chapbook that will be given the Walter Pavlich Memorial Poetry Award, establishment of the Leah Zeff Memorial Poetry Award, and the inauguration of two new series of small books, the first for poetry translated from Spanish or from indigenous languages from Mexico and Central and South America; the second of books written by North American First Nations (Native American) poets.
Both McPherson and DenBoer will be reading from their own work, as will a number of previously-published Swan Scythe authors. In-print Swan Scythe books and others will be on sale. Patrick Grizzell and Steve Bird will provide blues music, and refreshments will be served. The event is sponsored by the Sacramento Poetry Center and the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission. The public is invited to attend.
