Linda Meyer and Jen Weaver-Neist, sister publishers of Ink & Paper Group imprints Three Muses Press and Dame Rocket Press, respectively, have joined forces with Sisters Of The Road and Write Around Portland to present a free workshop entitled: “What to Know Before You Submit Your Manuscript to a Publisher.” Community involvement is something we at Ink & Paper Group espouse, and this is one small way in which we can support writers in our fair city while working with two organizations we believe in.

We are pleased to report that this class filled on the day it was announced by Write Around Portland and Sisters Of The Road. If all goes well, we anticipate offering the workshop again this spring.

We are also pleased to send a big note of thanks to Paperblanks, a division of Hartley & Marks Publishers, for the generous donation of beautiful writing journals for each class participant. Visit the Paperblanks online catalog to be wowed by their selection of journals, sketchbooks, address books, and day planners. Like Ink & Paper Group, Hartley & Marks adheres to its social commitment to “emphasize projects and organizations that produce tangible results at the community level, particularly in the areas of health, education, and social services.”

Join Ana Callan and Shanti Shivani and Chaz Hastings  for “Journey into the Heart: Evening of Mystic Poetry & Cosmic Indian Vocal Music”

Saturday, March 28, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. - $15

The Little Church, 5138 NE 23rd Avenue, Portland

download the event flyer

In case you didn’t know, March is Small Press Month. The New York Center for Independent Publishing (formerly Small Press Center), The Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP), and the International Book Publishers Asssociation (IBPA) have joined forces for the thirteenth year to showcase small presses all over the nation.

“The small presses represent what is most brave, crazy and beautiful about our country and our literature. So let us all sing honor songs for the independent publishers,” says best-selling author Sherman Alexie, the spokesperson for Small Press Month. This Month honors independent publishers through literary events that highlight the high quality and diversity of books independents publish. Without such small presses, reading choices would be controlled by the huge business conglomerates that dominate mainstream publishing.

Check out the exciting new authors published by Three Muses Press and her sister imprints Dame Rocket Press and Bowler Hat Comics. Along with a host of other small presses in the Pacific Northwest, we publish local and national writers with unique literary voices. We at Ink & Paper Group offer support to authors and industry professionals through our participation in writers fairs, guest presentations for reading and writing groups or organizations, and the classes and workshops we put on in the 1910 house that is our publishing home.

Participate in Small Press Week by recognizing and celebrating your local small presses and what we do for our communities. We encourage you to attend our events and to  explore the Small Press section at your favorite independent bookstore. Powell’s Books has a dedicated Small Press Section. Does Annie Bloom’s Books follow suit? How about Broadway Books? When you shop for books this month, ask these and other such wonderful booksellers about starting a small press section if they don’t already have one in their store.

In the meantime, here is a selection of small presses in and around Portland, Oregon:

Bedbug Press (Brownsville, OR): www.bedbugpress.com
Beyond Words Publishing, Inc. (Hillsboro, OR): www.beyondword.com
Bowler Hat Comics (Portland, OR): www.bowlerhatcomics.com
Cellar Door Publishing (Portland, OR): www.cellardoorpublishing.com
CoreWay Media (Portland, OR): www.coreway.com
Dame Rocket Press (Portland, OR): www.damerocketpress.com
Dancing Moon Press (Newport, OR): www.dancingmoonpress.com
Dark Horse Comics (Milwaukie, OR): www.darkhorse.com
Eberhardt Press (Portland, OR): www.eberhardtpress.org
Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company (Portland, OR): www.gacpc.com
Golden Quill Publishing (Hillsboro, OR): www.gqpub.com
Hawthorne Books and Literary Arts (Portland, OR): www.hawthornebooks.com
Hot Off the Press (Canby, OR): www.b2b.hotp.com
Ink & Paper Group (Portland, OR): www.inkandpapergroup.com
KenArnold Books (Portland, OR): www.kenarnoldbooks.com
Microcosm Publishing (Portland, OR): www.microcosmpublishing.com
Nestucca Spit Press (Pacific City, OR): www.nestuccaspitpress.com
New Sage Press (Troutdale, OR): www.newsagepress.com
Oni Press, Inc. (Portland, OR): www.onipress.com
Ooligan Press (Portland, OR): www.ooliganpress.pdx.edu
Pinball Publishing (Portland, OR): www.pinballpublishing.com
Ringing Bell Press (Portland, OR) www.ringingbellpress.com
So New Media (Eugene, OR): www.sonewpublishing.com
Three Muses Press (Portland, OR): www.threemusespress.com
Timber Press (Portland, OR): www.timberpress.com
Tin House (Portland, OR): www.tinhouse.com
Top Shelf Productions (Portland, OR): www.topshelfcomix.com
Virtual Tales (Vancouver, WA): www.virtualtales.com
Wordcraft of Oregon (La Grande, OR): www.wordcraftoforegon.com

Thank you, and happy reading!