ABOUT US
Wordcraft of Oregon was founded in 1988 as an outgrowth of Ice River Magazine, a journal of the fantastic in literature. Wordcraft's Speculative Writers Series published twenty-five books by innovative authors. With its relaunch in 2006, the press broadened its range as a literary small press.
"Wordcraft of Oregon is one of the more underrated presses not only for science fiction, but of literature in general."
— Rain Taxi Online, Fall 2003
"Wordcraft is doing exactly what a small/alternative press should be doing: putting into print literate, innovative fiction that falls outside the commercial norm, from writers who are trying interesting things in intelligent ways."
—Steve Moore, Dalkey Archive Press
Wordcraft of Oregon, LLC, was relaunched in 2006 after a three-year hiatus with the belief that a broad range of literature could be offered affordably and competitively and was a pioneer in using desktop publishing software for its earlier titles. Our first trade editions were generally published in print runs of 500–1000 copies providing more established writers with an alternative to the commercial houses, while smaller locally-produced in-house saddle-stitched and perfect bound editions allowed us to test an audience with new voices. In 2008, the press shifted to Print on Demand technology for printing and in 2012 narrowed its publishing interests to Oregon and Northwest poets, with occasional prose books by invitation only.
Wordcraft of Oregon, LLC, provided three years of financial support for Phantom Drift: A Journal of New Fabulism, an annual perfect bound, nonprofit journal. David Memmott, Wordcraft of Oregon's editor and publisher (www.davidmemmott.com), served as managing editor for the first six years. Learn more about Phantom Drift as: www.phantomdrift.org
"Wordcraft of Oregon is one of the more underrated presses not only for science fiction, but of literature in general."
— Rain Taxi Online, Fall 2003
"Wordcraft is doing exactly what a small/alternative press should be doing: putting into print literate, innovative fiction that falls outside the commercial norm, from writers who are trying interesting things in intelligent ways."
—Steve Moore, Dalkey Archive Press
Wordcraft of Oregon, LLC, was relaunched in 2006 after a three-year hiatus with the belief that a broad range of literature could be offered affordably and competitively and was a pioneer in using desktop publishing software for its earlier titles. Our first trade editions were generally published in print runs of 500–1000 copies providing more established writers with an alternative to the commercial houses, while smaller locally-produced in-house saddle-stitched and perfect bound editions allowed us to test an audience with new voices. In 2008, the press shifted to Print on Demand technology for printing and in 2012 narrowed its publishing interests to Oregon and Northwest poets, with occasional prose books by invitation only.
Wordcraft of Oregon, LLC, provided three years of financial support for Phantom Drift: A Journal of New Fabulism, an annual perfect bound, nonprofit journal. David Memmott, Wordcraft of Oregon's editor and publisher (www.davidmemmott.com), served as managing editor for the first six years. Learn more about Phantom Drift as: www.phantomdrift.org
REVIEWS & REWARDS
Wordcraft of Oregon has received three Literary Arts Fellowships for Publishers from Literary Arts, Inc., in Portland, Oregon, most recently in 2006 which allowed the press to provide full-color covers on three first books of poetry in 2007 and one in 2008.
Wordcraft of Oregon books have been favorably reviewed and found noteworthy through awards and other special recognition.
Just a few examples are given below:
CRAZY LOVE, stories by Leslie What, won the 2009 Next Generation Indie Award for short fiction and was named one of the top ten science fiction/fantasy books of the year in the May 15th issue of Booklist and was honored as a finalist for the Oregon Book Award in Fiction. In a starred review from Publishers Weekly (5/12/08): "'Queen of Gonzo' What (Olympic Games) drags love out of its gooey, schmaltzy rut and takes it for a joyride in this exuberant collection of 17 stories... No matter how brief or long, no matter how bizarre, each tale in this collection grabs readers and demands they rethink how they see all the myriad forms of love."
KATHERINE'S WISH won a 2009 IPPY Award in the historical fiction category, received an honorable mention for the Eric Hoffer Award in general fiction and was a finalist for Foreword Magazine's Book of the Year Award in the category of general fiction.
SPILLING THE MOON was selected by Small Press Review as a "Poetry Pick" for May-June, 2008, Vol. 40 Nos. 5-6, Issues 424-425.
"Schumacher's poems are lyrically vivid and emotionally satisfying...a must for poetry readers and poetry collections everywhere."
--The Midwest Book Review
A PASSION IN THE DESERT, a novel, Thomas E. Kennedy, was selected as a finalist for ForeWord Magazine's 2007 Book of the Year Award for Literary Fiction.
PRIMETIME, a novel, by David Memmott, was reviewed by Isaac Asimov's SF Magazine and scifi.com:
"[Memmott] marshals his extensive cast of characters with precision and brevity of introduction (giving just enough of their backstories to firmly embed the players in our perceptions) and then weaves their lifepaths together in a glorious tangle."
Paul Di Filippo, Isaac Asimov's SF Magazine, July 2008
"A dizzying debut novel explores an extreme near-future that explodes into a post-cyberpunk extravaganza... Primetime is, inarguably and admirably, ambitious...and it will be interesting to see where the author goes from here. "
F. Brett Cox, scifi.com January 31, 2008
PAPER BIRD, poems, by Pamela Steele, was a Small Press Review "Poetry Pick" for Jan. - Feb., 2008
IN AN ELEVATOR WITH BRIGITTE BARDOT, essays by Michael Lee, will be among items celebrating Brigitte Bardot in her official museum being planned in France.
"Marine Corps veteran and experienced journalist Michael Lee presents In an Elevator with Brigitte Bardot and Other Appreciations, a selection of essays interspersed with humor, memories, searing personal insights into daily life in Cape Cod. "Great poetry can be change-your-life stuff. Or sometimes it's just change your pants stuff. But then the next Bill Collins gets up there, living out loud and dragging poetry, kicking and screaming, onto the actuality of the blank page. Then you can't help but get excited about poetry." Each essay is only a few pages long, yet each strikes the heart of its topic with a deft flick of the wrist. A treasury to savor a bit at a time, or all at once."
-- Michael J. Carson, Midwest Book Review, August 2007
LESSONS FOR CUSTER, Poems by Thomas Madden, 1-877655-47-3, $14, was selected as a finalist for the 2007 Spur Award for Poetry from the Western Writers of America. "Since 1952, the Western Writers of America have honored the best in Western fiction, non-fiction, and film scripting. We are honored to add [Lessons for Custer] to this list of the most distinguished Western writers of the last half-century."
THE BOOK OF MAMIE, new and revised edition of the winner of the 1988 AWP Novel Award was recently reviewed in The Literary Review.
"Duff Brenna's The Book of Mamie was the AWP Best Novel Award winner, but despite critical acclaim and popularity, this exquisitely tragic and life affirming novel has been out of print for fifteen years. Thankfully, Wordcraft of Oregon, a publishing house with a fondness for innovative voices, has recently given The Book of Mamie new life...The Book of Mamie reminds of us why we read. It asks meaningful questions about the human condition while at the same time, it entertains. Spinozan theories come to life, mink are skinned alive, a furor develops over Shakespeare and Melville at a church of art, and a farmer's son from Wisconsin falls in love with the 'Idiot Phenomenon of the Century.' This novel is unforgettable."
--James Michael Slama,The Literary Review, Summer 2007
CONTAGION AND OTHER STORIES, story collection by Brian Evenson, ISBN: 1-877655-34-1, $11, which includes the 1998 O'Henry Award winning story, "Two Brothers," and O'Henry runner up, "The Language of Polygamy."
"Contagion remains one of the most strange and powerful books of the new millennium."
— Bob Ehrenreich, The Believer #2, May 2003
SMOKING MIRROR BLUES, novel by Ernest Hogan, 1-877655-37-6, $12
"One of 2001's best sf novels."
—Claude Lalumiére, sfsite.com
REALISM AND OTHER ILLUSIONS: Essays on the Craft of Fiction by Thomas E. Kennedy, 1-877655-38-4, $12 is one of ePublisher's Weekly's best fifteen nonfiction books of 2002.
RED SPIDER WHITE WEB , novel, Misha Nogha, 1-877655-29-5, the first U.S. trade edition of 1990 Readercon Award winning novel and finalist for Arthur C. Clarke Award
"Misha Nogha's Red Spider White Web is arguably the definitive feminist cyberpunk text, a searing work that crashes upon the reader like a catastrophe."
—Alan DeNiro, Rain Taxi Online Edition, Fall 2003
MOLECULAR JAM , poems, Dan Raphael, 1-877655-21-X (out of print), which includes the 1995 Rhysling Award winning poem, "Skin of Glass."
"There is a new way to write and a new way to read the world in all its stupefying beauty and Dan Raphael is leading the way in."
—Charles Potts
WEST OF PARADISE, poems, George Venn, 1-877655-31-7, $12, finalist for the 2000 Oregon Book Award for Poetry.
"This is poetry of big love, great heart. George Venn's scale is immense and inclusive...The only other poet I know whose work has such range is Tom McGrath, who, like George Venn, told the stories of his region in such a way as to make them magical, luminous and permanent..."
—James Bertolino
I AM MADAGASCAR: On Moving West from New England, poems, Ellen Waterston, 1-877655-41-4, $10 (second edition), winner of the 2005 Willa Ward for Poetry from Women Writing the West.
"This slim, plain-clothes volume attests to poetry's power to distill experiences down to their emotional essence."
—Karen McCowen, The Register-Guard (Eugene)
FREAKNEST, science fiction novel, Lance Olsen, 1-877655-35-X, $12.
"A treat for anyone interested in the place of the human will in a society that seeks at every turn to remove and commodify our memories and selves, turning us all into isolated units locked inside a building, dreaming dreams that were, and never will be, truly ours."
— American Book Review
ANGEL BODY AND OTHER MAGIC FOR THE SOUL, anthology of Wordcraft of Oregon speculative writers published by BBR Publications (England), finalist for the British Fantasy Award, edited by Chris Reed and David Memmott, 1-877655-39-2 (US, $16.95), 0-872588-05-0 (England, 9.95 £).
"...the best anthology of 2002: a feast of experimentation, a celebration of diversity and a triumph of innovation."
—Jetse de Fries, The Fix
Wordcraft of Oregon books have been favorably reviewed and found noteworthy through awards and other special recognition.
Just a few examples are given below:
CRAZY LOVE, stories by Leslie What, won the 2009 Next Generation Indie Award for short fiction and was named one of the top ten science fiction/fantasy books of the year in the May 15th issue of Booklist and was honored as a finalist for the Oregon Book Award in Fiction. In a starred review from Publishers Weekly (5/12/08): "'Queen of Gonzo' What (Olympic Games) drags love out of its gooey, schmaltzy rut and takes it for a joyride in this exuberant collection of 17 stories... No matter how brief or long, no matter how bizarre, each tale in this collection grabs readers and demands they rethink how they see all the myriad forms of love."
KATHERINE'S WISH won a 2009 IPPY Award in the historical fiction category, received an honorable mention for the Eric Hoffer Award in general fiction and was a finalist for Foreword Magazine's Book of the Year Award in the category of general fiction.
SPILLING THE MOON was selected by Small Press Review as a "Poetry Pick" for May-June, 2008, Vol. 40 Nos. 5-6, Issues 424-425.
"Schumacher's poems are lyrically vivid and emotionally satisfying...a must for poetry readers and poetry collections everywhere."
--The Midwest Book Review
A PASSION IN THE DESERT, a novel, Thomas E. Kennedy, was selected as a finalist for ForeWord Magazine's 2007 Book of the Year Award for Literary Fiction.
PRIMETIME, a novel, by David Memmott, was reviewed by Isaac Asimov's SF Magazine and scifi.com:
"[Memmott] marshals his extensive cast of characters with precision and brevity of introduction (giving just enough of their backstories to firmly embed the players in our perceptions) and then weaves their lifepaths together in a glorious tangle."
Paul Di Filippo, Isaac Asimov's SF Magazine, July 2008
"A dizzying debut novel explores an extreme near-future that explodes into a post-cyberpunk extravaganza... Primetime is, inarguably and admirably, ambitious...and it will be interesting to see where the author goes from here. "
F. Brett Cox, scifi.com January 31, 2008
PAPER BIRD, poems, by Pamela Steele, was a Small Press Review "Poetry Pick" for Jan. - Feb., 2008
IN AN ELEVATOR WITH BRIGITTE BARDOT, essays by Michael Lee, will be among items celebrating Brigitte Bardot in her official museum being planned in France.
"Marine Corps veteran and experienced journalist Michael Lee presents In an Elevator with Brigitte Bardot and Other Appreciations, a selection of essays interspersed with humor, memories, searing personal insights into daily life in Cape Cod. "Great poetry can be change-your-life stuff. Or sometimes it's just change your pants stuff. But then the next Bill Collins gets up there, living out loud and dragging poetry, kicking and screaming, onto the actuality of the blank page. Then you can't help but get excited about poetry." Each essay is only a few pages long, yet each strikes the heart of its topic with a deft flick of the wrist. A treasury to savor a bit at a time, or all at once."
-- Michael J. Carson, Midwest Book Review, August 2007
LESSONS FOR CUSTER, Poems by Thomas Madden, 1-877655-47-3, $14, was selected as a finalist for the 2007 Spur Award for Poetry from the Western Writers of America. "Since 1952, the Western Writers of America have honored the best in Western fiction, non-fiction, and film scripting. We are honored to add [Lessons for Custer] to this list of the most distinguished Western writers of the last half-century."
THE BOOK OF MAMIE, new and revised edition of the winner of the 1988 AWP Novel Award was recently reviewed in The Literary Review.
"Duff Brenna's The Book of Mamie was the AWP Best Novel Award winner, but despite critical acclaim and popularity, this exquisitely tragic and life affirming novel has been out of print for fifteen years. Thankfully, Wordcraft of Oregon, a publishing house with a fondness for innovative voices, has recently given The Book of Mamie new life...The Book of Mamie reminds of us why we read. It asks meaningful questions about the human condition while at the same time, it entertains. Spinozan theories come to life, mink are skinned alive, a furor develops over Shakespeare and Melville at a church of art, and a farmer's son from Wisconsin falls in love with the 'Idiot Phenomenon of the Century.' This novel is unforgettable."
--James Michael Slama,The Literary Review, Summer 2007
CONTAGION AND OTHER STORIES, story collection by Brian Evenson, ISBN: 1-877655-34-1, $11, which includes the 1998 O'Henry Award winning story, "Two Brothers," and O'Henry runner up, "The Language of Polygamy."
"Contagion remains one of the most strange and powerful books of the new millennium."
— Bob Ehrenreich, The Believer #2, May 2003
SMOKING MIRROR BLUES, novel by Ernest Hogan, 1-877655-37-6, $12
"One of 2001's best sf novels."
—Claude Lalumiére, sfsite.com
REALISM AND OTHER ILLUSIONS: Essays on the Craft of Fiction by Thomas E. Kennedy, 1-877655-38-4, $12 is one of ePublisher's Weekly's best fifteen nonfiction books of 2002.
RED SPIDER WHITE WEB , novel, Misha Nogha, 1-877655-29-5, the first U.S. trade edition of 1990 Readercon Award winning novel and finalist for Arthur C. Clarke Award
"Misha Nogha's Red Spider White Web is arguably the definitive feminist cyberpunk text, a searing work that crashes upon the reader like a catastrophe."
—Alan DeNiro, Rain Taxi Online Edition, Fall 2003
MOLECULAR JAM , poems, Dan Raphael, 1-877655-21-X (out of print), which includes the 1995 Rhysling Award winning poem, "Skin of Glass."
"There is a new way to write and a new way to read the world in all its stupefying beauty and Dan Raphael is leading the way in."
—Charles Potts
WEST OF PARADISE, poems, George Venn, 1-877655-31-7, $12, finalist for the 2000 Oregon Book Award for Poetry.
"This is poetry of big love, great heart. George Venn's scale is immense and inclusive...The only other poet I know whose work has such range is Tom McGrath, who, like George Venn, told the stories of his region in such a way as to make them magical, luminous and permanent..."
—James Bertolino
I AM MADAGASCAR: On Moving West from New England, poems, Ellen Waterston, 1-877655-41-4, $10 (second edition), winner of the 2005 Willa Ward for Poetry from Women Writing the West.
"This slim, plain-clothes volume attests to poetry's power to distill experiences down to their emotional essence."
—Karen McCowen, The Register-Guard (Eugene)
FREAKNEST, science fiction novel, Lance Olsen, 1-877655-35-X, $12.
"A treat for anyone interested in the place of the human will in a society that seeks at every turn to remove and commodify our memories and selves, turning us all into isolated units locked inside a building, dreaming dreams that were, and never will be, truly ours."
— American Book Review
ANGEL BODY AND OTHER MAGIC FOR THE SOUL, anthology of Wordcraft of Oregon speculative writers published by BBR Publications (England), finalist for the British Fantasy Award, edited by Chris Reed and David Memmott, 1-877655-39-2 (US, $16.95), 0-872588-05-0 (England, 9.95 £).
"...the best anthology of 2002: a feast of experimentation, a celebration of diversity and a triumph of innovation."
—Jetse de Fries, The Fix