Washington College's Rose O'Neill Literary House Explains 'How Poet + Editor = Book'

Chestertown, MD — Writing a poem may be a solo exercise, but editing and publishing a collection of poems is a collaborative creative effort. A Washington College alumnus-turned-published poet is returning to his alma mater with a representative from his publishing house to help shed light on the process. "Begin Anywhere: How Poet + Editor = Book," featuring Frank Giampietro and April Ossmann, will be presented at the Rose O'Neill Literary House on Thursday, March 19, at 4:30 p.m. A poetry reading and booksigning will follow at 7:30 p.m.

The event is co-sponsored by the Jacoby Endowment in Editing & Publishing and the Rose O'Neill Literary House.

Giampietro, who earned his M.A. in English at Washington College in 2002, is the founding editor and designer of the online poetry journal La Fovea (www.lafovea.org). His poems, book reviews and nonfiction have appeared in journals such as 32 Poems, Columbia Poetry Review, CutBank, Exquisite Corpse, Fence, Hayden's Ferry and Rain Taxi.

Frank Giampietro's first book of poems, Begin Anywhere, was published by Alice James Books in 2008. April Ossmann, Giampietro's editor at Alice James Books, will join him for the Rose O'Neill Literary House presentation.

Ossmann is a poet as well; her 2007 debut collection, Anxious Music, was hailed by Publishers Weekly for "a voice remarkable for its confidence and fierceness." She also has published her poetry widely in journals including Harvard Review and Colorado Review, and in the anthologies Contemporary New England Poetry, and The Maine Poets: An Anthology of Verse. In addition to being the Executive Director of Alice James Books, she has taught creative writing and literature courses at Lebanon College and at the University of Maine at Farmington.

Alice James Books (AJB) is a nationally acclaimed non-profit cooperative poetry press. It was named for Alice James, sister of William and Henry James, whose fine journal and gift for writing went unrecognized within her lifetime. Founded in 1973 by five women and two men, the objective of the press was to give women's literature better representation and involve authors within the publishing process. While Alice James Books has a strong history of publishing women's poetry, it encourages submissions from all interested poets.

Recent AJB titles have been reviewed in The New Yorker, ALA Booklist, Ms., Harvard Review, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Boston Review, the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, Poetry and other publications. The publishing house itself has been featured in such magazines as Ms, Poets & Writers, Slate and Poetry Daily.

Admission to "Begin Anywhere: How Poet + Editor = Book" is free and open to the public.