Wesleyan University Press
| Company type | University press |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 1957 |
| Headquarters | Middletown , United States |
Key people | Suzanna Tamminen (director) |
| Products | Books, poetry collections, academic publications |
| Parent | Wesleyan University |
Wesleyan University Press operates as the publishing arm of Wesleyan University located in Middletown, Connecticut, with Suzanna Tamminen, an accomplished poet and essayist, currently at its helm.
History and overview
Founded in 1957, this press focuses primarily on works related to poetry, music, dance, performance studies, American Studies, and cinema. While Wesleyan separated from its American Education Publications division in 1965, it retained control over the scholarly press. Editorial activities take place on the university campus, whereas printing is coordinated through a collective of academic presses across New England.
As a participant in The Association of American Publishers, Wesleyan University Press was involved in the Hachette v. Internet Archive litigation that affected worldwide digital access to more than half a million volumes.
The press is renowned for its distinguished poetry series, which showcases both established literary figures and emerging poets. Having published upwards of 250 poetry collections, it has garnered numerous prestigious awards including five Pulitzer Prizes, a Bollingen Prize, three National Book Awards, two National Book Critics Circle Awards, and an American Book Award. These honors highlight its significant standing within academic publishing. The New York Times has noted that Wesleyan’s poetry program surpasses larger university presses with more substantial budgets.
Early contributors to the press include notable figures such as Norman O. Brown and John Cage. The poetry series was originally overseen by poet Richard Wilbur, who was then teaching English at Wesleyan. During the mid-1950s, writer and academic William Manchester held an editorial role. Poet Laureate Donald Hall served on the editorial board between 1958 and 1964. In the 1960s, literary icon T.S. Eliot acted as a traveling editor and special advisor with a focus on identifying promising English and European poets.
Wesleyan stands as the smallest American college to maintain its own publishing press and manages the country’s second-longest-running poetry series, releasing roughly 25 new titles each year.
Among its authors are Pulitzer Prize recipients like Rae Armantrout, Paul Horgan, Yusef Komunyakaa, Louis Simpson, and James Tate. The press has also played a role in reviving poets such as Jack Spicer, whose posthumous collection received an American Book Award in 2009. This body of work exemplifies Wesleyan’s strategic role in fostering influential literary voices while sustaining a strong position within the academic publishing market.