Scenes: 3: A Taos Press: an interview with Andrea Watson

Could you briefly describe your press’s history?

3: A Taos Press, founded in 2011 by poet Andrea L. Watson, is a boutique publishing house that concentrates first on the beauty of the word and then on the beauty of the work. We are committed to fostering and honoring the work of writers of all cultures. We make three promises to our authors: We will treat each writer with honesty, respect, and creative encouragement. We will ensure that each book represents the ideals of its author in an artful and distinct way. We will bring each manuscript to publication in a thoughtful manner as a work to be read once—and then again

Our first publication was Collecting Life: Poets on Objects Known and Imagined, featuring poems about the private or imagined collections of 88 selected poets, followed by Sheryl Luna’s second book, Seven, about sexual abuse and healing. Our third publication introduced Buddhist practitioner Bonnie Rose Marcus with poems of her volunteer hospice work in New York City. Phyllis Hotch wrote of aging and her husband’s illness with Alzheimer’s Disease in 3 A.M, winner of the New Mexico/Arizona Book Award. Dr. Eleanor Swanson issued a commemorative volume of Trembling in the Bones, about the Ludlow Massacre in Colorado, selected as Regis University’s Book of the Year for Incoming Students. Max Early, of the Laguna Pueblo of New Mexico, offered poetry as well as pottery in Ears of Corn: Listen, winner of the Southwest Book Design and Production Award. Tennessee poet Bill Brown detailed myth and memory in his sixth collection, Elemental, and Veronica Golos honored us with her third poetry book, Rootwork, combining scholarly research and epic re-imagining of the lives and dedicated work of abolitionists John Brown and Mary Day Brown. Our latest publication, by California poet Karen S. Córdova, details the tragedy of elder abuse and is being featured by the medical community.

Upcoming books include Godwit by Eva Hooker; The Ledgerbook, by William S. Barnes; The Mistress, by Catherine Strisik; Day of Clean Brightness by Kundiman Fellow Jane Lin; Bird Forgiveness by Melinda Palacio; and Bloodline by Radha Marcum.

How would you characterize the work you publish?

3: A Taos Press focuses on poetry that documents life with intelligence and gentleness. We encourage our readers to get close to the difficult—even different—issues of life and to emerge exquisitely educated. Each book we publish has a specific issue embedded within it. Some of the themes that our poets have brought to light are fascinating cultures, cultural traditions, and religions; controversial historical events and people; domestic, sexual, or elder abuse; health and aging; hospice work; and concern and care for the environment.

Who is your audience, and in what ways are you trying to reach them?

Our readers are people who wish to know more about other cultures, other universes, other experiences. While each book may start out with a particular fan base, those readers continue to follow all of our publications, and they tell us so. Our readers come from all walks of life and many locales—writers of all genres, readers of all genres, high school teachers and students, university professors and their classes, those in the medical field, museum-goers, bookstore owners, and gallery fans. They are people who believe in the infinite power of poetry.

We reach our readers through our website: www.3taospress.com. Our books always are available directly from the press, with all works and authors having their own featured pages. Other sources for information and purchase are Amazon, SPD Distribution, and Coutts Information Services for libraries.

We also reach our readers through mailings and emails with full publicity for each book and its author. Our publicist engages readers through social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Google+. We also hold book readings and signings across the United States at bookstores, libraries, high schools, universities, conferences and conventions, museums, galleries...