Comments on: “Anonymous” Identified

By: Think Girl » Educate yourself.

Think Girl » Educate yourself. — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:44:24 +0000

[...] light of the recent discussion of race and feminism in the blogosphere I’ve decided to post a few books [...]

By: Book using ‘Jungle’ imagery in ‘racist illustrations’ shock « The Scary Door

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:07:58 +0000

[...] you also missed the recent debacle involving them, here are some background details from Adele at A Book Without A Cover, who tried to get their opinion on an anthology of women of colour writers at the recent WAM [...]

By: Alas, a blog » Blog Archive » Three Things

Alas, a blog » Blog Archive » Three Things — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 04:04:52 +0000

[...] I want to express my (very late) solidarity with Blackamazon, Adele and all the other women of colour who were ignored and dismissed by Seal Press. I want to express [...]

By: Elaine Vigneault

Elaine Vigneault — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:46:23 +0000

I made my way over here via Curvature.
Thank you for clarifying this.
I think some of the remarks made by Seal Press were just terrible and I can’t understand how they’re getting any support from feminists at all. It’s just insane.

By the way, you might not have access to Daisy Hernandez, bell hooks, Andrea Smith, or Alice Walker, but Rebecca Walker has a blog here:
http://blogs.theroot.com/blogs/seeds/default.aspx
Maybe you could get in touch with her that way if you’re still interested in getting a big name attached to anthology to help get it published and sold.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:58:11 +0000

In a way, it seems silly to attack Seal Press when there’s a much bigger problem at play. People find it easy to scapegoat when these are actually institutional problems. In many ways, Seal Press is right about the marketing challenges of anthologies without big names; it’s not just racism. Businesses are designed to make a profit (and that’s why the more radical of us often move to more grassroots or nonprofit ways of doing things!). This is more complicated than a “Fuck Seal Press” expresses!

By: Lauren

Lauren — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:27:34 +0000

Funny that they say they don’t publish anthologies, considering they have so many in their lineup, and are — from what I can gather — publishing an anthology put together by Jessica Valenti.

By: It’s a Small Feminist World : The Curvature

It’s a Small Feminist World : The Curvature — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:33:42 +0000

[...] week, it turns out that the story emerged, and I missed it. Adele Nieves, a published woman of color writer and editor, came forward: An informal meeting with an editor [...]

By: tinfoil hattie

tinfoil hattie — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:11:23 +0000

Hmmm, and why, exactly, could you NOT get “access” to Katha Pollitt? Because she’s big and famous, and you’re not? Doubt it.

Sorry, I’m still with Black Amazon in her original “Fuck Seal Press” comment, regardless of its context.

This is still bullshit. And I’m still mad.

By: When you define yourself as a nail, everyone else looks like a hammer…

When you define yourself as a nail, everyone else looks like a hammer… — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:41:11 +0000

[...] Let’s hear a first hand recounting of this hideous attack from it’s victim… "An informal meeting with an editor from Seal Press at the WAM conference regarding the proposal for my anthology left me feeling frustrated and deflated. I was not seeking or particularly interested in having them publish the anthology, but merely hoping for advice on my book proposal. The editor, while impressed with the format of the proposal, advised me that anthologies don’t sell, and I should get someone like Gloria Steinem or Katha Pollitt to contribute, even though, as she said, I wouldn’t be able to get access to them." - Adele explains it all [...]

By: belledame222

belledame222 — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 08:30:01 +0000

Oh, barf. You need someone like Katha Pollitt, but you can’t get access to them anyway, so sorry! Yeah, terrific. Very helpful.

I don’t suppose this person was one of the same ones who swore they really “want women of color?”

well, anyway. thanks for sharing this.

By: La Lubu

La Lubu — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:33:12 +0000

You’re putting a CD in too! Yes!!! Autonomedia publishes books with CDs; I’ve got one they published, Sounding Off! Music as Subversion/Resistance/Revolution, edited by Ron Sakolsky and Fred Wei-Han Ho.

By: littlem

littlem — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:41:29 +0000

Or, alternatively, if you like, you can publish the first edition (*hint, hint*) on lulu.com and not have to split the profits — either for hardback or ebook — with a traditional publisher.

http://www.lulu.com

By: prof bw

prof bw — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:01:44 +0000

I didn’t know that . . . you’ve probably already tried them but Routledge has a new women’s studies publisher after a long time without one. You may want to contact Lisa founder of Red Bone (the link is on my Seal Press post). B. Smith co-founder of Kitchen Table Press, or Norma Alarcon of Third Woman Press, about their work starting presses when women of color’s voices were not being published in the mainstream.

By: abookwithoutacover

abookwithoutacover — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 19:26:10 +0000

prof black women:

Of course you can link this update, thank you for asking!

I would love to publish through Southend Press, except they don’t publish projects with CDs. I felt it was important to give voice to people who create in different ways, other than the written word (music, spoken word). So the search continues.

By: Jay Sennett

Jay Sennett — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 19:20:10 +0000

Hi,

I just want to put in my .2 cents for you and other like-minded WOC authors to please consider forming your own publishing company.

I did because I got really tired of seeing few titles about FtM transgender men. The way we started homofactus press is legitimate and has decent distribution.

If you’d like to know more, just drop me an email. I think you can probably fund raise your start up costs and then laugh at Seal Press all the way to the bank.

Take care,
Jay

By: prof black woman

prof black woman — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:52:26 +0000

I am sorry to hear about this and can tell you that you are not alone in being a woman of color anth editor given this advice by Seal Press, I have heard this story twice already . . . not that that brings comfort to any of you. ugh.

I just wanted to know if it was ok to add a link to this post as an update to the post I have about taking Seal Press books off the syllabus. If not, no worries.

(you may want to consider Southend Press if you are looking to publish with small feminist presses)

By: Feminism - Who’s it for? « Words From The Center, Words From The Edge

Feminism - Who’s it for? « Words From The Center, Words From The Edge — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:14:01 +0000

[...] More on the problems around Seal Press as we get a fuller account of what they did at WAM! from the friend that Black Amazon was defending. She discusses her interactions with them and how the whole thing went down and the non-surprise at [...]

By: tayari

tayari — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:15:58 +0000

Adele, I’m breathless.

By: Veronica

Veronica — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:33:02 +0000

Love you!! xoxo

By: Sudy

Sudy — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:02:18 +0000

You have my love, support, and gratitude for all the amazing work you have done.

XO,
Sudy