Left Fork Books & Flowstone Press

Congratulations, Sara Backer and Judith Arcana!

Exciting news! This year this humble upstart of a press was selected by Turtle Island Quarterly to publish the winners of their chapbook contests, Sara Backer’s collection Bicycle Lotus, winner of the Turtle Island Poetry Award, and Judith Arcana’s Here From Somewhere Else, winner of the Editor’s Choice Chapbook Award.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working with the winners to finalize their books–covers, interiors, and all sorts of minutiae. Speaking of covers, check these out…

BicycleLotus_FINAL_small_JPG             HFSE_front_cover_small

According to Turtle Island editor Jared Smith, Sara’s collection is “what a chapbook should be all about—a precise and mind expanding voyage into a state of mind that could not be entered into through a longer work—and yet contains more than any work of similar size possibly could.” Sara’s hybrid collection includes essays and poetry and you can find it now on Amazon and hopefully soon from Left Fork’s website.

According to Jennifer Richter, “Judith Arcana’s gorgeous new collection, has movement at its core. Many of these poems are fueled by questions—questions that generate a powerful urgency and contribute to the book’s compelling internal momentum.” The book is still being finalized, though it should be ready within 7-10 days (I’m just waiting to see a printed proof and if it all looks good, we’ll hit Ye Olde Publishe button).

A big thanks to David at Turtle Island for trusting a relatively unknown indy press with his award winners, and a heartfelt thank you to Sara and Judith for working closely with me in bringing their words to the world.