#vida_lit

[lisamariebasile]

New School Writing blog features my interview on ladies + publishing @ VIDA

I went to the New School for MFA in poetry, and they recently launched a writing blog. I'm into it. So far, they've covered Amy Lawless on The Next Big Thing (<3) and Mario Zambrano's book, Loteria, which I'm uber, crazy, lovingly waiting to read. They excerpted my VIDA interview. Nice to see alumni support. 

[patasolabooks]

Patasola Press Editor talks to VIDAWeb's Melinda Wilson on Publishing, Women and Patasola

Welcome to Editor’s Corner, a new VIDAWeb feature, in which editors of diverse publications and literary projects weigh in regarding issues of gender, sexuality and racial disparity in our current publishing climate. Participating editors have been sent a series of questions to which they respond; however, editors are also welcome to comment freely on other related matters. For more information on Editor’s Corner contact me at [email protected].

This week, in our second installment, we feature Lisa Marie Basile, founding editor of Patasola Press. Basile is a published poet and is deeply involved in the New York City poetry community. You may find her at the annual NYC Poetry Festival or performing with The Poetry Brothel. You can find Basile’s poetry in publications such as Word Riot , PANK Magazine and many others. Read some of Basile’s work at Short, Fast, and Deadly, where she is this issue’s featured poet.  Also, check out this 2010 interview with Basile at The Daily Femme.

  On her press, her role and publishing philosophies:

Patasola Press’ primary goal is, simply, to publish stunning and courageous work by established and emerging authors. We want work that takes risks and overwhelms the reader.  We are not interested in following trends or names. As a matter of fact, it sometimes seems that many presses are interested in publishing mediocre works by established authors, or “In” names. I’m less interested in the social scenes of writing. Of course, not every press does this, but it’s something that strikes me as a reality. And then, more often than not, many of those that are published aren’t female.

Patasola Press’ secondary goal is to represent the underrepresented, with a special — though not exclusive — focus on promoting female voices on culture and identity. We publish male writers, as well, of course. We are interested in translations (in several senses, both literal and open-ended—think Christian Hawkey’s Ventrakl), work about identity and culture and, definitely work by female authors and about the female condition, sexuality and gender. We also believe it is essential to promote work about location. We’re interested in writing what makes us who we are, and we like that work to be daring and bloody and well crafted. I try not to let who I am as a person inform the work I choose; I try to learn from the work we publish.

READ MORE HERE

[vidacommunity-blog]

Click through to see photos from our June 18th benefit at the Brooklyn Brewery - many thanks to Riverhead Books for a fabulous evening. All photos by Jaclyn Rachel Green-Stock: [email protected]

[vidacommunity-blog]

VIDA birthday pie, yum yum yum.