Columbus-based Poetry Publisher Blood Pudding Press and Its Misshapen Rosettes

Poetry is an art form that does not seem to garner as much local press as other arts, crafts, and modes of creative communication, so I'll step forward to cast a small voice into the void and perhaps I might connect with a few likeminded others in the process. I'm Juliet Cook, a Columbus-based poet who also edits, publishes, and designs my own independent press called Blood Pudding Press, specializing in provocative poetry and artsy little misfit offerings.

Blood Pudding Press publishes poetry chapbooks, which are slimmer and shorter than full-length books and are often presented in limited editions or with special designs. My press is a fan of ribbon bindery and other hand-designed flourishes, such as rubber stamped spiders and collages. I think the books are like little art objects or artsy artifacts or zines taken to a slightly fancier level. They offer poetry and art in one delectable tome and would make delightful gifts for the poet or artist or literary lover in your life. They are just the right fit for a uniquely creative stocking stuffer, too.

Blood Pudding Press poetry is probably not for the tame or conservative. The Blood Pudding Press aesthetic favors imagistic words warped enough to appeal to even highly peculiar language connoisseurs. I have a predilection for poetic contents that ooze like creamy innards of questionable desserts. I like messy, but not uncooked. I like strangely-baked, visceral yet oblique, and creepy hybrids of sexy and queasy. I like longing, burlesque, grotesque, flirty and at least a little bit improper. Blood Pudding Press poetry is not chicken soup for the soul; it's more like a homemade pastry bag trying to squeeze out railroad track debris in the form of misshapen rosettes.

I founded Blood Pudding Press in October 2006 when I realized I was holding myself back by clinging to the notion that a published book would only be legit if somebody else published it for me. Why had I been thinking this, when I could publish it myself and furthermore, I could publish other people's books, too. After all, I felt passionate about poetry in part because it is such a creative, multifaceted, and sometimes strangely abstract terrain in which I can use my own imagination to express myself in whatever fashion I choose. Why not apply a similar style of imaginative creativity to poetry publishing? Fueled by DIY zest, I published my own first poetry chapbook as a pretty little guinea pig, then I started publishing work by other writers, too-and now only three years later, I'm pleased to be able to say that Blood Pudding Press has published twelve different chapbooks, ranging from single-author volumes to limited edition collaborations to multi-writer projects, with a thirteenth book well underway as I type.

I offer these artsy little tomes for sale online at www.BloodPuddingPress.etsy.com and select Blood Pudding Press chapbooks are also currently available at Wholly Craft!, a wonderful Columbus area shop, brimming with myriad artisan delights. Interested parties can find out more about Blood Pudding Press via the press blog at http://bloodyooze/blogspot.com where they can also read up on the editor's other projects, including Thirteen Myna Birds, which is a blog-style literary magazine I started so that I could publish more poetry than what I can afford to publish in print. Whereas Blood Pudding Press only accepts submissions sporadically, Thirteen Myna Birds is always accepting submissions-and I would love to have some local talent represent.

One reason I like to publish material by other writers is due to a desire to give something back to the poetry community. I figured if I wished for others to publish my poetry, then I should be willing to publish others' poetry, too. Poetry is more of a creative niche than a commoditized money-making market and as such, poets need to think about who is actually doing the work of publishing poetry. Chances are, it's not going to be a major publishing house geared towards bestsellers and the bottom line. It's much more likely to be a fellow poet who shares similar passions about a certain special style of communication and who values unique creation over mass market production.

Since poetry is not a major player within a money-making economy, some poets have taken to viewing the poetry community as more of a gift economy. They're not involved in the poetry business to churn out product and make a buck; they're involved to generate creations and share those creations. Within this kind of framework, book trades are common, poets are in the habit of sending out complimentary copies of their books in exchange for possible book reviews, and artistic collaboration can flourish. The more poets play a role in contributing to such exchange and collaboration and vital communication, the more the poetry community is enabled to expand and evolve and include more voices and grow in exciting new directions.

Even small, heartfelt attempts to change the terrain of poetry publishing by using one's own efforts, energy, and unique creativity to present the kinds of voices she thinks we should hear more of do have the potential to make a difference, to generate positive buzz, and to contribute to the mutable and ever-evolving landscape of contemporary poetry-and that is what I'm trying to do with Blood Pudding Press.

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(This article was also published in local Columbus Ohio based e-zine The Outer Belt.)