Plan B Press as a not-for-profit organization is dedicated to making ‘art matter’. The Press was created along with Bardfest, a 30 day poetry festival in Berks County, PA to bring out work by those participating in that festival. While the Press has evolved from this original intent, the focus of the message that founder stevenallenmay wanted to stress, that art happens everywhere, has not been lost of the current incarnation of Plan B Press.
In addition to publishing works by artists at the beginning of their careers, in the case of writers their 1st-3rd works, Plan B Press also seeks to capture, present, and preserve the vitality of modern literature. Plan B Press emphasizes the “plastic” nature of poetry by collaborating with artists from other mediums in exhibitions, performances, and publication that go beyond traditional form. We aim to continue our commitment to “cutting edge” uses of technology in the presentation and preserving of art as well.
History
History
Initially publishing poets from Central Pennsylvania, Plan B Press' now explores, promotes and presents the work of under-published authors, primarily poets, introducing new voices to the literary community and strengthening ties between language and image. Publishing five to ten titles per year, nearly all have been poetry books.
Plan B Press began as the brainchild of stevenallenmay, who began the press with Dianne Miller in 1998. Plan B Press evolved out of a poetryzine called "Two Thought Minimum". In 2003, control of the press was passed to stevenallenmay and Katy Jean May, who initiated an editorial and geographical shift. Plan B Press was moved to Philadelphia and began publishing multiple titles by a distinctive array of authors. The reach of the press expanded to other states, and in 2005 to other countries. Plan B Press continues to grow and define itself by not only the authors that it publishes, but also by its readers.
Plan B Press is in the process of transitioning into a 501c3 non-profit in order to better serve not only the authors it publishes, but also the community at large. By being able to expand its catalogue of wonderful grass-roots writers, it has the opportunity to enrich the literary community at the same time.
Artistically, Plan B Press is looking for artists who is not entirely comfortable with the confining tag of "poet" or "writer" but who sees his/her own work as something beyond labels. Merging artistic forms with language is one of the spaces that Plan B Press now attempts to fill. In 2005 Plan B Press began developing a new division called "Stay At Home Press" specializing in the direction toward 'art books'.
We accept manuscripts, but due to our schedule we only read them between June 1st and November 30th of each year. We ask that you NOT send manuscripts from January through April due to submission confusion with the chapbook contest. We strongly encourage authors who have published very few to no books, but are eager to start the process. When sending a manuscript to us, please note the following:
1) Note the number of books you have published both self and not. If none, state it.
2) Tell us whether you perform your work at readings or slams.
3) Please send a collection of work. Two poems, unless they are epically long, does not equal a collection. But please note: Unless a manuscript is incredibly special, we publish almost exclusively chapbooks, not full-length books. 20-30 poems is the range we're looking for.
4) Be open to feedback.
5) Unless a large enough envelope (with enough postage) is included, manuscripts will NOT be returned. Otherwise, please include an e-mail address or a postcard for a response.
6) We are very interested in chapbook ideas with a visual component, even if the idea is not fully fleshed out.
Quotes we live by
The book must be the unified work of the author and the designer. As long as this is not the case, splendid exteriors will constantly be produced for unimportant contents, and visa-versa.
El Lissitzky
from Do Not Separate Form from Content!(1931)
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…however, the way in which words are used, both verbal and written, is frustrating to me. They are too easily manipulated.
That is one of the reasons why I avoid using them in my books.
