Queen of the Small Press
an interview with poet, Lyn Lifshin
 

Lyn Lifshin has written more than 100 books and edited 4 anthologies of women writers. Her poems have appeared in most poetry and literary magazines in the U.S.A., and her work has been included in virtually every major anthology of recent writing by women. She has given more than 700 readings across the U.S.A. and has appeared at Dartmouth and Skidmore colleges, Cornell University, the Shakespeare Library, Whitney Museum, and Huntington Library. Lyn Lifshin has also taught poetry and prose writing for many years at universities, colleges and high schools, and has been Poet in Residence at the University of Rochester, Antioch, and Colorado Mountain College. Winner of numerous awards including the Jack Kerouac Award for her book "Kiss The Skin Off", Lyn is the subject of the documentary film "Lyn Lifshin: Not Made of Glass". For her absolute dedication to the small presses which first published her, and for managing to survive on her own apart from any major publishing house or academic institution, Lifshin has earned the distinction "Queen of the Small Presses." She has been praised by Robert Frost, Ken Kesey and Richard Eberhart, and Ed Sanders has seen her as "a modern Emily Dickinson."

Why have you chosen the small press to distribute most of your work?

So many of my books have come from large submissions to magazines, especially my first books. That is how WHY IS THE HOUSE DISSOLVING ? grew: I sent a very large submission of poems to one of the best 'mimeo mag' magazines, Lung Socket and while that was to be their last edition, the publisher told me he liked all the poems I sent and wanted to put them together as a book. Soon after that LADY LYN, BLACK APPLES, MOVING BY TOUCH, an ABRAXUS CHAP BOOK all came from large submissions. This actually continued: the presses chose me from my submissions, often large, overly large. MARILYN MONROE, BLUE TATTOO, UPSTATE MADONNA: many other chaps and books were put together either from an original submission to a magazine or requested if, for example, I sent a group of poems and the editor or publisher liked them and asked for more. Up to this day with recent publications of BARBIE, VOL 1 AND 2 and a forthcoming book, UPSTATE, AN UNFINISHED STORY all followed similar patterns. In the late 90's, wanting to have a collection I hoped would appear in bookstores too, I spent one night when ballet class was cancelled browsing a book store near the studio. In the mid seventies I had felt John Martin's BLACK SPARROW PRESS was most suitable to my work and I sent him a manuscript. He was full but asked me to send something later. In the bookstore almost 25 years later I had the same feeling: BLACK SPARROW would be where I would want to be. I sent a manuscript and COLD COMFORT and BEFORE IT'S LIGHT were published with the plan to reprint both and publish a book every year or every other year. I was ecstatic. This was perfect. I had my third BLACK SPARROW book ANOTHER WOMAN WHO LOOKS LIKE ME set for fall 2002 publication. John Martin told me my sales were excellent and all looked very bright. Then in May of 2002 Martin sold of his writers to one publisher and the rest were turned over to David Godine Press, a press that has a very good reputation and does beautiful books. My third book is to come out July of 2005 after many delays and changes in publication date. They are, unlike John Martin, unlikely to keep my books in print. In the year 2003 half way thru 2004 I became obsessed with a race horse dead thirty years, Ruffian. Really obsessed and spent the whole year writing ONLY poems about her and I am thrilled that TEAX REVIEW PRESS will publish that book: THE LICORICE DAUGHTER: MY YEAR WITH RUFFIAN. And for this book, I never sent any poems out till acceptance of my manuscript and am only publishing a very very very few poems from it by request. Some will be in a forthcoming THE SOUTH CAROLINA REVIEW. Another publisher recently asked me to do a book about poets. I think they had really wanted gossipy poems that I couldn't write, let alone publish so I did a large large group of poems and when they weren't what the press had expected, I sent it to another press who will do the book: POETS (MOSTLY) WHO HAVE TOUCHED MY LIFE, LIVING AND DEAD. ALL TRUE, ESPECIALLY THE LIES. And I am working on many other projects.

Do you believe that self-publishing is the best 'first' step for poets?

Having never self published a book of mine, I'm am afraid I can't answer that questions though many famous, prestigious writers, like Virginia Woolfe, have self published in the past.

What do you believe are the pros and cons of self-publishing?

Again, never having self published a book of mine, I can not answer this question. I would imagine distribution might be a problem and while I'm not sure, I don't know exactly how self published books are received by bookstores, contests etc. But I really have no direct knowledge of pros or cons.

What is the best thing about working with a small press?

Each small press is very different. Almost always my experiences have been positive. Sometimes it takes a long time. One book set to be published in 1982 has not only not been returned but a relative of the publisher, now dead, still is talking about laying the book out. I get a note about this every few years!!

What advice would you offer to aspiring writers?

This is a hard question. I have to fight my instinct to say get out of the field. No one needs any more poets and so few care about poetry. It is full of frustration and while writing poems is amazingly fun, much of the other part isn't. But to not be too discouraging (though I would suggest having a job more dependable is a good idea) I'd say to read a lot, write when you can, write what you want, know a lot is political. I was told by a painter when I painted that I should only paint if I couldn't stop myself from doing that. I would say the same thing about poetry.

What most would you like the world to know about Lyn Lifshin?

Another hard question. Depending on my mood I might say that perhaps it would have been better to have gone to law school. I love poetry, I read a lot. I'm addicted at this point to Ruffian, Jete Pentimento (my Abyssinian cat) ballet. I take as many classes a day as I can fit in, love belly dancing but haven't found a local teacher yet, love film. And that I have probably been nominated for the Push Cart prize more than any poet who has not received one. I am the Susan Lucci of the Push Cart.

But also, they should know that in spite of extreme frustrations in so many ways and being naive and not realizing from the start how political the whole business is, being sure I could just write and write as well as I can, that would be enough, I still adore that high that comes from writing, especially when I can write in the sun, my Abyssinian cat curled on the table near the maple tea, a few hours I know no one will be around and I can float off into another world.

Thank you very much Lyn!
 

Click here to view some of Lyn's Poetry

For more information on Lyn and to purchase her books, please visit: Lynlifshin.com