Scenes: Atelier26

Abstract

ScenesAtelier26 An Interview with Diane Prokop Could you briefly describe your press's history? M. Allen Cunningham founded Atelier26 Books in 2011 out of deep personal convictions as a reader and writer, with the hope of helping other writers, and with the aim of bringing a writer's sensibility to the press's editing and publishing practices. Among the core Atelier26 principles is the belief that reading is far more than just another form of consumerism and that idiosyncratic works—even those that exist without a topical "hook" or whose authors lack a "platform"—have an integral place in literary culture, and that, in fact, literary history is largely built upon such works. We've grown our list gradually over the last 6.5 years, and in recent seasons have become recognized for the excellence of our titles, such as Woody Skinner's A Thousand Distant Radios, which was honored by the 2018 PEN/Bingham Award (longlist), and Margaret Malone's People Like You, Finalist for the 2016 PEN/Hemingway Award and winner of the 2015 Balcones Fiction Prize. Our books have been lauded by many notable authors and cited on numerous Best of the Year lists. How would you characterize the work you publish? We focus on unconventional or formally inventive literary fiction and creative nonfiction, and—to the extent that it reaches us serendipitously—some poetry (most recently Sidney Wade's magnificent Bird Book). Our books are finely written and edited and each is beautifully designed. We're particularly drawn to work that displays sensitivity to the nuance, power, and infinite potential of language, work that contains unforgettable imagery and that will inspire multiple re-readings and generate conversation. Who is your audience, and in what ways are you trying to reach them? We believe our audience overlaps quite naturally with the loyal audiences of other excellent independent publishers for whom the first concern is literary quality—and for whom questions of "marketability," etc., are not at all primary: Graywolf, Coffee House, Sarabande, Dalkey Archive. We expect that increasingly readers will, as they do with these older houses, recognize Atelier26 titles for their distinctiveness: artful writing, thought-provoking themes and treatments, and lasting quality that transcends any single publishing season. We have an excellent distributor in IPG, a marvelous publicist in Diane Prokop, and we find these readers however we can: book festivals, pop-up sales, independent bookstore events, award recognition—but the most significant outreach occurs via word of mouth, one reader sharing our titles with another on the basis of quality, pure and simple, as they did so wonderfully with one of our first books, Harriet Scott Chessman's glorious novel The Beauty of Ordinary Things (2013). That's something that can't really be orchestrated or manipulated, and it's an inspiring thing to see. What is your role in the publishing scene? Click for larger view View full resolution M. Allen Cunningham Atelier26 Books exists to demonstrate the powers and possibilities of literature—to show, in our own small way, that despite the fact that a mere handful of titles dominates mainstream literary publishing every season, other vibrant, vital voices are contributing to the literary culture in wonderful ways—that such books are always there awaiting you, if you're prepared to find them. And we actively partner with great independent bookstores that make the discovery of such books a major part of their mission. What's in the future for your press? We expect to continue growing our list—and also our reputation among readers and writers. We're excited that this fall will bring the publication of M. Allen Cunningham's Perpetua's Kin, a powerful voice-driven literary novel eleven years in the making. We'll continue to be editorially driven, intent on providing a rich and fulfilling reading experience, and we look forward to bringing in further gifted writers, both new and seasoned. [End Page 47] Copyright © 2018 American Book Review