The Wesleyan University Press recently won the 2004 National Book Award for Poetry for its publication of “Door in the Mountain: New and Collected Poems, 1965-2003,” by Jean Valentine. The award was officially announced on Nov. 17.
The National Book Award is one of the nation’s most prestigious literary prizes through which the National Book Foundation (NBF) recognizes literary works of “exceptional merit” by American authors, according to the NBF website.
“This award directly affects national readership and book sales,” said Leslie Starr, the marketing manager of the University Press. “People want to buy books that have won the award.”
She emphasized the importance of and prestige associated with the publication of such a collection of works by an established poet.
Valentine’s book contains more than 70 new poems and selections from eight of her previous books. Keiji Shinohara, a visiting artist at Wesleyan created the cover for the collection.
Valentine is a highly acclaimed writer. Her first book “Dream Barker” won the Yale Younger Poets Award in 1965. She is also the author of eight other books that have continuously met recognition and praise. Over her writing career Valentine has received the Guggenheim Fellowship and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Bunting Institute, the Rockefeller Foundation, the New York Council for the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts.
“Jean Valentine has long combined explosive rigor and extreme restraint, from the rhymed odes that won her the 1965 Yale Younger Poets prize to the halting, almost prayerful, new works that open ‘Door in the Mountain,’” wrote Stephen Burt of the New York Times in a recent review.
Suzanna Tamminen, acting Director and Editor-in-Chief of the University Press had long admired Valentine’s writing when she approached the poet about the possibility of publishing her new book through Wesleyan. Valentine’s work came to the attention of Tamminen when she was writing her thesis as an undergraduate at Wesleyan.
The National Book Award has several positive implications for the University Press as a whole as the University as a whole.
“It means that the Press has very strong editorial direction,” said Justin Harmon, Director of University Communications. “They select high-quality work, and the published presentation of that work is first-rate.”
Starr added that Wesleyan stands out as being one of the few primarily undergraduate universities with a press.
“This demonstrates Wesleyan’s continued support for publishing,” she said. “This award, specifically, indicates that Wesleyan is publishing books of a high caliber. It is extremely prestigious.”
The Wesleyan University Press began publishing in 1959. Since its inception, it has released over 250 books which have reeled in four Pulitizer Prizes, a Bollingen Award for poetry, and now three National Book Awards, according to the Press website.
The Press specializes in publishing poetry, ethnomusicology, and dance criticism. While the Press does publish works written by Wesleyan University professors, it is not its main focus, noted Starr.
Even so, the relationship between the Press and the University remains strong and positive, said Tamminen. The cover of the book will even be used as President Bennett’s holiday greeting card.
“Having a strong university press is an asset to Wesleyan because it contributes to the intellectual climate on campus,” Harmon said.
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