Editor Interview: Orison Books

Spiritually engaged books

Some of the most vital work in contemporary literature is being published by relatively small non-profit presses, such as Alice James Books, Sarabande Books, Milkweed Editions, Wave Books, and many others.

Some of my favorite living writers are Jane Hirshfield, Marilynne Robinson, Li-Young Lee, Natasha Trethewey, Leila Chatti, Christian Wiman, Mary Doria Russell, Phillip B. Williams, Bruce Beasley--and of course many others!

Our focus on literature that engages the life of the spirit is unique because we're not affiliated with any specific religious or spiritual tradition or perspective, so we're open to any and all ways of approaching what has traditionally been called "the spirit."

Disregarding our submission guidelines and emailing me directly. This is not a successful strategy!

As editor, I'm responsible for overseeing every aspect of the book publication process, so the range of my work on any given day can span from reading submissions, to negotiating contracts, to making editorial comments on accepted manuscripts, to accounting, to mailing out review copies and book orders, to working with our designer on layout and book design... There's never enough time!

Yes. Our books have won The Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award for Essays, The Chicago Review of Books Award for Poetry, The IPPY Silver Medal for Poetry, and two awards from The Texas Institute of Letters, as well as being named finalists for The Kate Tufts Discovery Award, The National Jewish Book Award in Poetry, The Balcones Fiction Prize, The New Mexico Book Award in Poetry, and The Paterson Poetry Prize.