LLC24: Small Press Reading Series


About

The Small Press Reading Series highlights creative writing and print culture in and around Central and Western New York.

Open to New People

Active since: 2019

  • Syracuse University
  • Colgate University
  • Hamilton College

Collaborative Goals

Over the last year, the working group expanded its membership and broadened its scope to include the production of small press and alternative press across Central and Western New York. In addition to hosting readings, our goal was to include more institutional partners and unique disciplinary perspectives. This goal was met by welcoming new working group members from Hamilton College and the University of Rochester.

Group Organizers

Patrick Williams

Librarian for Literature, Rhetoric, and Digital Humanities, Syracuse University

Emily Sherwood

Director of the Digital Scholarship Lab, University of Rochester

Josh Finnell

Associate Professor in the University Libraries, Colgate University

Tina Hall

Department Chair, the Christian A. Johnson Excellence in Teaching Professor of Literature and Creative Writing, Hamilton College

Anne Valente

Assistant Professor of Literature and Creative Writing, Hamilton College

Group Outcomes

The addition of colleagues from the University of Rochester and Hamilton College expanded the working group's collaborative network. In addition, the interest in the letterpress workshop at Hamilton College was overwhelming and allowed faculty, students, and staff from Colgate University and Hamilton College to experiment with different forms of engaging with knowledge production. Both poets attended the workshop and printed a broadside of their poems alongside the participants. Over 100 broadsides were distributed at the poetry reading later that evening and underscored the interest in print culture and the enduring interest in the printed word.

Expansion of Collaborative Networks

The addition of Emily Sherwood, Director of Digital Scholarship and Studio X at University of Rochester's River Campus Libraries sparked conversations about knowledge production in the form of zines. The addition of Tina Hall, the Christian A. Johnson Excellence in Teaching Professor of Literature and Creative Writing, and Anne Valente, Associate Professor of Literature and Creative Writing led to a conversation about poetry, broadsides, and letterpress.

Student Engagement

Several students from Hamilton College and Colgate University attended the letterpress workshop. This participation created conversations about Colgate students joining the letterpress studio student organization at Hamilton College.