Annotation
Based on 18 works published since 2015, the course will explore 7 contemporary independent publishers/presses that have worked, over the past 5 years, outside of the mainstream as defined by the Anglo-American publishing industry, publishing radical, experimental, or otherwise “unusual” fiction.
The goal of the course will be not only to cover and evaluate what is currently “out there,” but to produce hands-on critical research on the contemporary publishing scene: reviewing books, interviewing authors/publishers, writing critical pieces on the publishing plan, presentation & “poetics” of selected houses, etc.
Final research papers will be framed with view towards its publication online and elsewhere. Work in the seminar includes 3 short reviews on individual novels & 1 longer presentation, covering a selected press, at the final roundtable discussion in January.
The 7 publishers covered include 11:11 Press, Calamari Press, Equus Press, Expat Press, Inside the Castle, Sublunary Editions, and Tangerine Press.
SYLLABUS
Oct 6 Introduction: Course Overview
Oct 13 Equus Press (I) Holly Tavel, Weather in Fritz Bemelmans Park (2015)
Daniela Cascella, Singed (2017)
Oct 20 Equus Press (II) Louis Armand, GlassHouse (2018)
D. Harlan Wilson, Natural Complexions (2018)
Oct 27 11:11 Press (I) Collected Voices in the Expanded Field (2020)
Elisa Taber, An Archipelago in a Landlocked Country (2020)
Nov 3 11:11 Press (II) Grant Maierhofer, Works (2015-20)
Nov 10 Inside the Castle (I) Germán Sierra, The Artifact (2018)
Mike Corrao, Smut-Maker (2020)
Nov 17 NO CLASS
Nov 24 Inside the Castle (II) M Kitchell, In the Desert of Mute Squares (2018)
John Trefry, Apparitions of the Living (2018)
Dec 1 Calamari Press Laura Ellen Joyce, The Luminol Reels (2014)
J’Lyn Chapman, Beastlife (2015)
Dec 8 Tangerine Press Willow & Scotthorne (eds.), Writing Utopia 2020
Dec 15 Expat Press Manuel Marrero, Thousands of Lies (2015) bibles @appropouture, The Better Face of Fascism (2018)
Dec 22 Sublunary Editions Joshua Rothes, The Art of the Great Dictators (2019)
Kyle Coma-Thompson & Tristan Foster, 926 Years (2020)
Jan 5 Concluding Discussion
COVID-19 PROVISIONS
In view of the current developments in the COVID-19 pandemic, the seminar will at some/early point start taking place via an online platform (preferably Zoom). The same participation and assessment rules will remain in place.
COURSE READER
All of the primary reading will be available from the faculty Moodle system for the students to study as part of their weekly readings.
PRESENTATIONS
Each student will prepare 3 brief “review”-type book presentations during the semester, hopefully in tandem with a colleague. With all texts extending 200 pages, the presenter will assign (via email) a 50-page excerpt of passages to read for the rest of the class in reasonable advance (by Friday previous). The rest of the class will read the excerpts and come to class ready to discuss them.
FINAL PAPER
The final seminar paper shall have the scope of 2,500 words (for a non-graded paper), or 4,000 words (for a graded paper) and will be due by the end of January 2021. Individual deadline extensions are possible but need to be discussed with the lecturer in reasonable advance.
N.B.1 Students need to discuss their final paper topics, bibliography, etc. with the lecturer ahead of the end of the course, i.e. in mid-December.
CREDIT
Students will be given their credit for presence at, and active participation in, a minimum 10 sessions of 12 total (30%), and the concluding roundtable (30%) & their final paper (40%).
N.B.1 Due to Departmental policy, only MA students are allowed to enroll for the graded paper credit option.
N.B.2 for Erasmus students: you can only enroll for the non-graded/Zápočet credit option; however, should your home university demand it, you can consequently receive a “grade” for your overall performance.