At its gala this year, the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP) awarded Sarabande books and its founder, Sarah Gorham, the Golden Colophon Award for Paradigm Independent Publishing. The timing was appropriate: Gorham was preparing to step down from running the 29-year-old press after nearly three decades at the top of its masthead, with author Kristen Renee Miller set to succeed her as editorial director and editor in chief.
“Why should a press work so hard to develop community? To create a loyal base of readers who feel seen; to honor the place that grew you up and gave you roots; to open the mysterious pipeline to a fully representative range of writers; and to open the field at large to curious people who want to find like minds and gather together for real talk about books and art making,” poet Lia Purpura, who presented the award to Gorham, said in prepared remarks at the gala. “How might [a press] create community? Well, study the Sarabande playbook.”
PW spoke with Gorham about her years running Sarabande and the lessons she learned during and from them, and with Miller about her ambitions for the press in the future.
When you look back over your career as the founder and editor of Sarabande Books, which moments come to mind?
This is an easy question to answer, for there are many. Of course, whenever I happened upon a manuscript that felt like a true discovery, handing me a bout of frisson, hair standing on end, and I’d just know immediately that we’d need to publish it—those moments will always be memorable.
The phone calls to the authors are priceless too; nothing is as special as having those initial conversations about signing a book, the sheer joy of it all. There are also the arrivals of the gorgeous finished books, and getting to admire these fully formed, beautifully designed pieces of art…it’s tremendous.
And while we know the value of our books, it is always nice to see a book or an author get the attention they deserve within the public eye. Whether it’s an author winning a PEN Award or having their book reviewed in the New York Times, it’s wonderful to see these books get the readership and love that they deserve. After all, it’s why we do what we do; it’s our duty to circulate these books and find homes for them in the world at large.
What is an unexpected lesson you learned running the press?
Sarabande is an independent, nonprofit publishing house, and so a delightful and unexpected lesson has been that so many foundations and donors have been eager to rally behind us and our mission to help make a home for the kinds of books that we publish. Especially in our current era, it’s invigorating to remember that our communities want art, need art, and that we’re not producing art in a vacuum. We are ever grateful to our donors and grantors for seeing the value in what we do. So the lesson? Never underestimate the value of a strong support base—your donors, your grantors, your sponsors, your readers.
What advice would you give to writers who are about to send out their first books?
Patience is essential. Try to focus exclusively on the writing first and foremost. Worry about the book’s placement after you’ve shown the manuscript to other literary people you trust. Take a break from the book and gain some perspective. Pay attention to those ideas that drift through your mind and write them down immediately. Revise, revise. David Hamilton had a habit of writing a first or second draft, then putting it into a drawer for six months. Good plan.
You're a wonderful writer yourself. Will you be dedicating your new free time to your own writing? (And any projects we should know about?)
Oh yes, I’ve been writing all along during the wee hours when the dog and my husband are sleeping. For the past four or five years, my sole project has been a collection of essays called Funeral Playlist, in which I examine the relationship between music and mortality. There will be a Spotify list, so readers can experience the writing and the music—Mozart, Nina Simone, Vivaldi, Robert Cray, Phosphorescent, the Wailin’ Jennys, and the mourning dove are a few of my musical choices.
Kristen, what most excites you about taking on this role, and what are your hopes for Sarabande in the near future?
I’ve been thinking a lot about new ways to cultivate community among our authors. In 2020, we had a group of authors we called the “four poets of the apocalypse”—all debuts. Like everyone, their tours had been canceled, and we were all navigating the landscape of launching books in lockdown. I was so inspired by the bond that formed between these poets and the groundswell of their creativity and collaboration. They hyped each other’s pub dates, organized zoom readings, interviewed each other on their podcasts, and, with our publicist Joanna, practically invented new forms of lockdown guerilla publicity. These poets—Sarah J. Sloat, Emma Hine, Adam O. Davis, and Chad Bennett—became each other’s first fan base and cheering section. They and their books thrived.
Looking forward, so many things excite me for Sarabande’s future, many of them extensions or expansions of the good work we’re already known for: craft-forward and adventurous literature, beautiful editions, creative, energetic publicity. But building community has always been central to my vision for Sarabande. My previous projects with the press include our Young Professionals Board, a leadership development program for local arts leaders, and ‘Zine Lunch!,’ a free, online workshop for micro writing and art held each Friday and attended by dozens of writers from around the world. I’m endlessly proud of the literary community we’re incubating here in Louisville, Kentucky. When new authors join us at Sarabande, my hope is that they will forge meaningful connections—not just with new readers, but with each other, too.
