Headmistress Press is a small press based in

Sequim, Washington Sequim ( ) is a city in Clallam County, Washington, United States. It is located along the Dungeness River near the base of the Olympic Mountains. The 2010 census counted a population of 6,606. Sequim lies within the rain shadow of the Olympic ...

. Founded in 2013, the press specializes in poetry by lesbian poets. Notable poets who have published collections with Headmistress include

Janice Gould Janice Gould (1949—2019) was a Koyangk'auwi (Konkow, Concow) Maidu writer and scholar. She was the author of ''Beneath My Heart'', ''Earthquake Weather'' and co-editor with Dean Rader of ''Speak to Me Words: Essays on Contemporary American ...

Joy Ladin Joy Ladin (born March 24, 1961) is an American poet and the former David and Ruth Gottesman Chair in English at Stern College for Women at Yeshiva University. She was the first openly transgender professor at an Orthodox Jewish institution. Early ...

, Constance Merritt, and Lesléa Newman.

History

Headmistress Press was started in 2013 by founding editor Mary Meriam, founding editor Risa Denenberg, and Jessica Lowell Mason (formerly Jessica Mason McFadden), who gave the press its name. In 2015,

Rita Mae Reese Rita Mae Reese is an American poet, fiction writer, and marketing director at Headmistress Press, an independent publisher of chapbooks and full-length collections by lesbian poets. Life Reese was born and raised in Charleston, West Virginia, ...

joined Meriam and Denenberg as "Mistress of Marketing." The advisory board includes

Ellen Bass Ellen Bass (born June 16, 1947) is an American poet and co-author of '' The Courage to Heal''. Life Bass grew up in Pleasantville, New Jersey, where her parents owned a liquor store. Her family later moved to Ventnor City, New Jersey. She atte ...

, R. Nemo Hill, JP Howard,

, and Hannah Barrett. Several of its publications have won awards: ''The Body's Alphabet'' by Ann Tweedy (2016) won a Bisexual Book Award for Poetry, and was a finalist for a

Lambda Literary Award Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ literature.The awards were instituted i ...

for Bisexual Nonfiction and for the

Golden Crown Literary Society The Golden Crown Literary Society (GCLS) is an American non-profit organization established in February 2004 as a literary and educational organization for the study, discussion, enjoyment, and enhancement of Lesbian literature. In 2020, in order ...

Award for Poetry. ''I Carry My Mother'' by Lesléa Newman was named a 2016 "Must Read" title by the Massachusetts Center for the Book and received the 2016 Golden Crown Literary Society Poetry Award. ''Conjuring My Leafy Muse'' by Mary Meriam was nominated for the 2015 Poets' Prize, and ''Girlie Calendar'' by Mary Meriam was selected for the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...

's Over the Rainbow List in 2016. In 2015, Headmistress published ''Lady of the Moon'', edited by Mary Meriam, with a selection of poems by

Amy Lowell Amy Lawrence Lowell (February 9, 1874 – May 12, 1925) was an American poet of the imagist school, which promoted a return to classical values. She posthumously won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1926. Life Amy Lowell was born on Febru ...

, and lesbian-feminist scholar

Lillian Faderman Lillian Faderman (born July 18, 1940) is an American historian whose books on lesbian history and LGBT history have earned critical praise and awards. ''The New York Times'' named three of her books on its "Notable Books of the Year" list. In add ...

's groundbreaking essay on Amy Lowell. The press also published a general-audience anthology, ''Irresistible Sonnets'', featuring

sonnets A sonnet is a poetic form that originated in the poetry composed at the Court of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in the Sicilian city of Palermo. The 13th-century poet and notary Giacomo da Lentini is credited with the sonnet's inventio ...

by contemporary poets such as

Robin Becker Robin Becker (born 1951) is an American poet, critic, feminist, and professor. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is author of seven collections of poetry, most recently, Tiger Heron and Domain of Perfect Affection (University of Pi ...

, Judy Grahn,

Marilyn Hacker Marilyn Hacker (born November 27, 1942) is an American poet, translator and critic. She is Professor of English emerita at the City College of New York. Her books of poetry include ''Presentation Piece'' (1974), which won the National Book Award, ...

Geoffrey Hill Sir Geoffrey William Hill, FRSL (18 June 1932 – 30 June 2016) was an English poet, professor emeritus of English literature and religion, and former co-director of the Editorial Institute, at Boston University. Hill has been considered to be ...

, Joshua Mehigan,

Marilyn Nelson Marilyn Nelson (born April 26, 1946) is an American poet, translator, and children's book author. She is a professor emeritus at the University of Connecticut, and the former poet laureate of Connecticut, She is a winner of the Ruth Lilly Poetr ...

, Catherine Tufariello, and many others; it was selected for the Best Books List for June 2014 by Grace Cavalieri of the Washington Independent Review of Books. Headmistress debuted its Lesbian Poet Trading Cards in 2015. The trading card project, lauded by

Kathleen Rooney Kathleen Rooney is an American writer, publisher, editor, and educator. Early life and education Kathleen Rooney was born in Beckley, West Virginia and raised in the Midwest. She earned a B.A. from the George Washington University and an M.F.A. ...

in the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

'' and featured on '' Harriet'', ''

AfterEllen AfterEllen (also known as AfterEllen.com) is an American culture website founded in 2002, with a focus on entertainment, interviews, reviews, and news of interest to the lesbian and bisexual women's community. The site covers pop culture and lifes ...

'', and '' Nat. Brut'', is the press's way of "honoring lesbian existence, recognizing a range of lesbian voices, and promoting lesbian representation in the arts." They feature such poets as

Naomi Replansky Naomi Replansky (May 23, 1918 – January 7, 2023) was an American poet and translator. ''The New York Times'' described her poetry as investigating "social history through individual lives". While her writing initially received little critical ...

, Charlotte Mew, Eloise Klein Healy, Judy Grahn,

Audre Lorde Audre Lorde (; born Audrey Geraldine Lorde; February 18, 1934 – November 17, 1992) was an American writer, womanist, radical feminist, professor, and civil rights activist. She was a self-described "black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet," wh ...

, and Minnie Bruce Pratt, among others.

References

External links

* {{Blogspot, headmistresspress, Official page *
Lavender Review
', lesbian poetry and art journal associated with Headmistress Press 2013 establishments in the United States Book publishing companies based in Washington (state) Publishing companies established in 2013 Small press publishing companies Poetry publishers LGBT book publishing companies Lesbian literature Trading card companies