New Star Books is an independent

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

publishing company located in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. New Star publishes between six and eight new titles each year, their list includes literary fiction, experimental poetry, and socially-critical nonfiction. The press has published more than 300 titles since its founding in 1970.

History

New Star Books has its roots in a literary supplement to the

Georgia Straight ''The Georgia Straight'' is a free Canadian weekly news and entertainment newspaper published in Vancouver, British Columbia, by Overstory Media Group. Often known simply as ''The Straight'', it is delivered to newsboxes, post-secondary schools, ...

. Founded by

Stan Persky Stan Persky (born 19 January 1941) is a Canadian writer, media commentator and philosophy instructor. Early life Persky was born in Chicago, Illinois. As a teenager, he made contact with and received encouragement from Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsb ...

and Dennis Wheeler and originally published as a short pullout section, the ''Georgia Straight Writing Supplement'' featured early work from

Daphne Marlatt Daphne Marlatt, born Buckle, CM (born July 11, 1942 in Melbourne, Australia), is a Canadian poet and novelist who lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. At a young age her family moved to Malaysia and at age nine they moved to British Columbia, ...

Jack Spicer Jack Spicer (January 30, 1925 – August 17, 1965) was an American poet often identified with the San Francisco Renaissance. In 2009, ''My Vocabulary Did This to Me: The Collected Poetry of Jack Spicer'' won the American Book Award for poetry. H ...

George Stanley Colonel George Francis Gillman Stanley (July 6, 1907September 13, 2002) was a Canadian historian, author, soldier, teacher, public servant, and designer of the Canadian flag. Early life and education George F.G. Stanley was born in Calgary, Alb ...

Milton Acorn Milton James Rhode Acorn (March 30, 1923 – August 20, 1986), nicknamed ''The People's Poet'' by his peers, was a Canadian poet, writer, and playwright. Early life He was born in Prince Edward Island, and grew up in Charlottetown. He joined the ...

, and Gerry Gilbert. In 1970, the writing supplement became the Georgia Straight Writing Series and began publishing books, most notably early works by

Lisa Robertson Lisa Robertson (born July 22, 1961) is a Canadian poet, essayist and translator. She lives in France. Life and work Born in Toronto, Ontario, Robertson moved to British Columbia in 1979, first living on Saltspring Island, then in Vancouver, wh ...

, Pauline Holdstock, Mark Leier,

Elizabeth Hay (novelist) Elizabeth Grace Hay (born October 22, 1951) is a Canadian novelist and short story writer. Her 2007 novel ''Late Nights on Air'' won the Giller Prize. Her first novel ''A Student of Weather'' (2000) was a finalist for the Giller Prize and won the ...

, and

Terry Glavin Terry Glavin (born 1955) is a Canadian author and journalist. Career Born in the United Kingdom to Irish parents, he emigrated to Canada in 1957. Glavin has worked as a journalist and columnist for '' The Daily Columbian'' (reporter, columnist ...

. Renamed, variously, the “York Street commune” and the “Vancouver Community Press,” the company acquired its final name, “New Star Books,” in 1974, marking a shift in editorial focus from literary to politically engaged, critical, left-leaning nonfiction work. While Lanny Beckman, New Star’s first publisher (becoming so in 1978), predominantly kept to the press’s nonfiction, politically-oriented direction, in 1990 the press underwent another shift when Rolf Maurer became its publisher and president. Maurer took New Star back to its roots as a literary, experimental press while maintaining its programme of publishing socially-critical books. He also added to New Star’s roster the Transmontanus imprint, edited by

and focused on social, environmental, and cultural issues in and around British Columbia. In 1998, New Star relocated from Kitsilano to its current site, off of Commercial Drive, in East Vancouver. In March of 2012, the New Star office was targeted by a suspected arson attack. No injuries were sustained as the attack took place in the early hours of the morning, however the office itself suffered considerable fire, smoke, and water damage. Although the majority of the press's inventory was stored safely in an offsite warehouse, the fifth printing of Lisa Robertson's ''Debbie: An Epic'' was almost entirely destroyed.

Authors

Authors who have been published by New Star include:

References

{{reflist Book publishing companies of Canada Publishing companies established in 1970 1970 establishments in British Columbia Companies based in Vancouver