Ed Schipul

It’s no secret that the publishing industry is suffering acutely in our current financial malaise. Despite the recent rash of doom-and-gloom articles (see Boris Kachka’s “The End” in the New York Magazine), these trying times do not mean the end of book publishing. Sure, the only statement nearly everyone in the business can agree on anymore is that everything is in flux. Still, despite this state of affairs, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic. One of these is Ooligan Press here in Portland, Oregon.

This week—May 24 through 30—the Writers’ Dojo will be featuring the voices and the work of Ooligan Press. We’ll hear from a variety of people including press founder, Dennis Stovall, students from the program at Portland State, and authors whose work has been published.

On the back cover of every volume published by Ooligan Press, there is a brief description of what makes this press unique:

Ooligan is a general trade press that publishes books honoring the cultural and natural diversity of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 2001 as a teaching press, Ooligan is staffed by students pursuing master’s degrees in the Department of English at Portland State University. These students participate in an apprenticeship program under the guidance of a core faculty of publishing professionals dedicated to the art and craft of publishing.

Left unsaid is Ooligan’s unique position as the premier student-run press in the country as well as its vital contributions to Portland’s growing literary community. In addition to being a hands-on, real-world education in every aspect of the 21st century book business, Ooligan also strives to be a hub for innovation, developing new approaches to help publishing not merely survive but thrive in this digital age.

Facts about Ooligan

At present, Ooligan produces an average of four books a year; they have twenty-one titles in their most recent catalog. Four more volumes are in the queue for release in 2009 including two poetry titles, a how-to guide for sustainable publishing, and a new edition of the regional geography classic, Cataclysms on the Columbia.

For a fairly young press, Ooligan hit the jackpot when six of its titles were listed on the Oregon State Library’s of Ooligan’s titles were listed on the Oregon State Library’s “150 Books for Oregon’s Sesquicentennial.” These included a young adult historical nonfiction title, A Heart for Any Fate; a poetry collection, Deer Drink the Moon; and a nonfiction look at the history of labor throughout the state, Oregon at Work.

Ooligan’s staff for various teams and projects fluctuates with each term in large part because more students are enrolled in fall and winter sessions. This June, twenty-five students will graduate with master’s degrees. Around the same number have been admitted for the fall term to begin their own individual journeys to learn the quirky and every-changing world that is book publishing.

Lots more  information—from submission guidelines to graduate profiles—can, of course, be found on Ooligan’s website.

Area writers might want to also think about joining Ooligan at their first annual Write to Publish Conference to be held on Friday, May 29th, 2009. It will be a full day of education about publishing for writers and a free informational open house. Seminars will be offered on subjects including copyright, finding an agent, polishing your manuscript, self publishing, and finding a publisher. In addition, Ooligan will be selecting twenty manuscripts for advance critique by editing students and Ooligan Press acquisitions will be hosting a pitch table. To purchase tickets please go to http://boxoffice.pdx.edu/ or call 503.725.3307.