Les Figues Press is an American

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

literary press that publishes poetry, prose, visual art, conceptual writing, and

translation Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...

. Based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, the press curates and hosts literary events, readings, performances, and art salons. Les Figues upholds a feminist criticality and editorial vision. Their stated mission is to create aesthetic conversations between readers, writers, and artists by publishing innovative/experimental and

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

styled work.

History

Les Figues Press was founded in January 2005 by Teresa Carmody, Vanessa Place, Pam Ore and Sarah La Borde. In December 2005, the press became incorporated as a nonprofit

501c3 A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

organization. From 2005 to 2013, the press published the TrenchArt Series. The TrenchArt series was an annual series of four books with a collection of essays. The series was devoted to facilitating conversations about the craft and form of writing. In 2008, Alta Ifland's collection ''Voix de Glace/Voice of Ice'' won the Louis Guillaume Prize for Prose Poems, France and in 2012, Jen Hofer's translation of Myriam Moscona's ''Negro Marfil/Ivory Black'' won the

Harold Morton Landon Translation Award The Academy of American Poets is a national, member-supported organization that promotes poets and the art of poetry. The nonprofit organization was incorporated in the state of New York in 1934. It fosters the readership of poetry through outreach ...

(selected by

Pierre Joris Pierre Joris (born July 14, 1946) is a Luxembourg-American poet, essayist, translator, and anthologist. He has moved between Europe, North Africa & the US for 55 years, publishing over 80 books of poetry, essays, translations & anthologies — mo ...

), and the

PEN Award for Poetry in Translation The PEN Award for Poetry in Translation is given by PEN America (formerly PEN American Center) to honor a poetry translation published in the preceding year. The award should not be confused with the PEN Translation Prize. The award is one of many ...

(selected by Christian Hawkey). Between 2010 and 2011, the press curated NOT CONTENT, a series of text installations at

Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions Located in Hollywood, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE) is a nonprofit exhibition space and archive of the visual arts for the city of Los Angeles, California, United States, currently under the leadership of Sarah Russin. History In th ...

(LACE). The writers involved included: Divya Victor, Vanessa Place,

Douglas Kearney Douglas Kearney (born 1974) is an American poet, performer and librettist. Kearney grew up in Altadena, California. His work has appeared in ''Nocturnes'', ''Jubilat'', ''Beloit Poetry Journal'', ''Gulf Coast'', ''Poetry'', ''Pleiades'', ''Iow ...

, Amina Cain, Mathew Timmons, Teresa Carmody, Christine Wertheim, Marco Antonio Huerta, and Sawako Nakayasu. In 2011, the press launched the NOS (not otherwise specified) Book Contest. The NOS contest seeks submissions of poetry, lyrical essays, novellas, and other forms not otherwise specified. Winners receive $1,000 and publication by the press. Past winners include: Becca Jensen for ''Among the Dead: Ah! And Afterward Yes!'' in 2011 (Selected by Sarah Shun-lien Bynum), Jessica Bozek for ''The Tales'' in 2012, (Selected by Sina Queyras), and Colin Winnette for ''Coyote'' in 2013 (Selected by

Aimee Bender Aimee Bender (born June 28, 1969) is an American novelist and short story writer, known for her surreal stories and characters. She is a 2011 recipient of the Alex Awards. Biography Born to a Jewish family, Bender received her undergraduate de ...

). From 2012 to 2013, the press held the first two parts of a three part series named Q.E.D ( Quod Erat Demonstrandum) at Schindler House. In the series, a writer, an artist, and a critic meet to discuss contemporary issues and conditions of queer art and literature. The questions are drawn from the participants' creative work and philosophies. In 2014, the press launched the Global Poetics Series, an annual series dedicated to exploring new forms and theories of innovative poetry and prose around the world. The books in the series include: Frank Smith's ''Guantanamo'', Sawako Nakayasu's ''The Ants'', and

Derek Beaulieu Derek Alexander Beaulieu (born December 7, 1973 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian poet, publisher and anthologist. Beaulieu studied contemporary Canadian poetics at the University of Calgary and Creative Writing at Roehampton University. His wor ...

's ''Kern''.

References

{{reflist Publishing companies of the United States