Local press weaves art into writing

Wildcat File Photo Arizona Summer Wildcat Photo Courtesy of Carrie Woolpert Charlotte Woolard sews pages into a book at Kore Press, where she started volunteering two years ago. The press was established six years ago with the mission of publishing local women writers.

Each Wednesday in a downtown warehouse with 20-foot brick walls and wood floors, a handful of women gather to visually do justice to the written word.

Everything in sight tonight at Kore Press has to do with creating books. Stacks of blank, white paper wrapped in plastic sit on flats. A nearby table is lined with white book covers, already printed and waiting for the inside pages.

Toward the back, near a press, two women sit with thick needles, lacing and talking, hand-sewing those pages into the book covers.

"When you're making books by hand, your hands are not machines. Each one's a little different," said Lisa Bowden, cofounder of Kore Press.

Bowden and a friend established Kore Press six years ago to give a voice to local women authors who might not otherwise find a forum for their work.

"We want to keep work in print that's not otherwise available," said Bowden, who also works full time as a book designer for the University of Arizona Press.

Inspired by a reading by Alison Deming, director of the UA Poetry Center since 1990, Bowden and cofounder Karen Falkenstrom created the press in 1992 from private donations. Kore, the first of Tucson's three feminist presses, maintains its nonprofit status with the help of volunteers and two or three interns from the University of Arizona women's studies, English and art departments.

Kore, which is Greek for "daughter," has also sponsored a mentoring program for girls from Tucson middle schools.

"You want to teach as many people as you can without draining your resources," Bowden said.

One of the most important parts of the work Bowden said she does is design the publications.

"I studied literature at the UA and wanted to explore books," she said. "I wanted to get closer to the whole visual aspect."

Rather than just a standard hardback covering, each title is marketed with specific designs, typefaces, ink colors and papers. Bowden said she works to blend the author's written work and the presentation to create a complete artistic package.

They're "no longer words; they're images," she said. "It's the serendipity of experience."

Kore Press generally takes on about three to four new titles a year, said Bowden. The press gets submissions either by soliciting work from authors or on recommendations from women in the field. The authors are paid royalties, or if the run is small, receive books to sell, keep for themselves or give as gifts.

Charlotte Woolard started working at the press about two years ago, during an internship through the UA Creative Writing Department.

"I've always been interested in small presses," she said. "The idea of a local press publishing its own authors was really appealing."

Woolard said she has learned a variety of skills and is now starting to learn how to run the press. She said her biggest reward is being able to work in a field she loves.

"Some things you can't get paid to do," Woolard said. "So you do it."

Lisa DiDonato was in graduate school at Arizona State University when she heard about Kore Press..

In the three years she has been at Kore, DiDonato said she has learned about everything from grant writing to planning events.

Small presses are more willing to take risks on authors that do not necessarily bring in the big bucks, she said. In that way, they "add a wonderful diversity to the publishing world," continued DiDonato. "Large publishers will only sell things that sell."

Kore Press books can be found at community events, Antigone Books, The Book Mark and Native Seeds/SEARCH.