Literary Editing and Publishing

Catalog description

Prerequisite: ENG 203. This course will combine hands-on work in small press, magazine, and DIY literary settings with a comprehensive study of the structures and issues that characterize contemporary publishing. Students will gain both practical skills and theoretical background in the work of literary editing. The course will consider the editorial process and author/editor relationships; the history, tradition, and forms of the book; connections between presses and larger cultural communities; reading publics in the internet age; and the role of Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook. We will consider how to develop an editorial aesthetic and editorial practices, as well as practical approaches to budgets, mission statements, online platforms, submissions, design, and distribution. Students will articulate connections between their own work and the social, cultural, and economic contexts of contemporary publishing. The coursework will culminate in a final publishing project that students will design, with instructor guidance, and in which they may pursue their own interests (in web or print publication; translation; book design; marketing; etc.). This course will contain a collaborative laboratory component and is recommended for those interested in interning or reading for the Cleveland State University Poetry Center, the Vindicator , Whiskey Island , or other literary and cultural publications.