Ball State University’s Brent J. Royster Revives Mississinewa Press to Print Poetry Chapbook Collections

Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Brent J. Royster, Assistant Professor in the Department of English, the Mississinewa Press, which is committed to publishing innovative poetry chapbooks biannually, is again operational and accepting manuscripts for possible publication.

The small press, originally founded by Dr. Patty White, is financed in-house and requires no commercial or contributor funding.

The first collection of poetry, Howard McCord’s Swamp Songs and Tales, is a paperback that the Press published this year. In early May, Mississinewa Press owner/publisher Dr. Royster presented a copy of it to Dr. Arthur W. Hafner, Dean of the University Libraries. The 54-page book was printed and bound by the Ball State University Print Shop on acid-free paper (ISBN 1-928835-09-0).

Dr. Royster said that he became acquainted with well known author McCord while he was a graduate student at Bowling Green State University where he received his MFA and Ph.D.

When speaking about the Mississinewa Press, Dr. Royster said, “Right now, we’re looking for chapbook length collections, 32 to 48 pages long, and in any style as we have a wide range of tastes. We are building a new Web site and hope to have readings at Bracken Library in the future.” View, http://bjroyster.iweb.bsu.edu.

Persons interested in more information or to inquire about publishing opportunities can contact Dr. Royster directly, mississinewa@poetrypress.net.

This newsletter article first appeared in The Library Insider 5(5): 8; May 2007.