by Lauren Redwood
I have officially been an intern at Anstruther Press for a year now. When I got the role I was beyond excited and grateful. It gives me the opportunity to be immersed in the world of publishing and to help the Canadian industry to continue growing. We are surrounded by so many skilled and passionate writers and publishing professionals in this country. To work with others to help promote a book or bring a book to completion is a dream come true. I’ve had the privilege of learning from a great person in our industry: Jim Johnstone. He and Erica welcomed me to the press with open arms and guided me. I do publicity work for them and recently, editorial work. During the year that I have been a part of Anstruther Press, I’ve seen a variety of work. There are books discussing the complexities of grief, of transition, of society’s expectations, of sexual assault, of mental health, of history and mythology, of birth, and more. There are a kaleidoscope of themes in each chapbook, sculpted and honed by each author and Anstruther Press’s editors. The Canadian publishing industry needs more works that continue to tackle topics that might be deemed taboo, too personal, and/or complicated. We need to embrace complication in the books that we publish. We need to embrace the kaleidoscope of humanity.
From 2020-2024, I went to Sheridan College for an Honours Bachelor degree in Creative Writing and Publishing. This education opened my world to the Canadian publishing industry. It broadened my reading net and taught me in-depth on how to best edit an author’s work. I spent years in workshops with my fellow classmates, editing and writing, and honing our craft. I spent hours editing every type of work possible, whilst also learning how to write every type of work possible. I helped host book events with my classmates and I interviewed countless authors. I had the amazing opportunity to intern at Pandamonuim Publishing House for a semester, and I was a guest editor-in-chief to their magazine The Publisher’s Desk. This degree just cemented for me that I want to work in publishing and help create books that will transform readers lives and to enrich our community. My classmates are now out in the publishing world, just as I am. Every single one of them is so special and skilled. They and my professors were what made my education so valuable. I learned from my classmates as much as I did from the content I was consuming. In present day, I still learn from many of them. Truthfully, I think we can apply this to publishing. To learn from one another, as professionals and creatives.
Growing up, books have always been important to me. They became a comfort and then later, a tool. I discovered parts of myself between the crease of pages. I became fascinated with the world of publishing and how one gets a book to the state where it is ready to be passed to the trusting hands of readers. I am someone who reads every kind of book possible. I will read fantasy, poetry, mystery, screenplays, sci-fi, literary, romance….everything. The art of literature consumes me and it is my dream to live a life contributing to this world. I could talk for hours about my favourite novels. Books are my life, as they are for many other people. And we are lucky to exist in an industry that is so driven and purposeful with what they do.
If you are looking to be a part of the publishing industry, there are many avenues that you can take to contribute. There are marketers, book sellers, and graphic designers; there are editorial routes and literary agent ones too. One can become a librarian or an English teacher and that connects to the overall web the Canadian publishing industry. It is an industry that is vibrant with people who love what they do. It is filled with those who dare push the boundaries of thought, press into our humanity, and encourage one another to connect. Our industry may be smaller than other countries’s industries, but we are growing and we are soulful. We are powerful in the words we cascade across this country we call home.
Lauren Redwood is a fantasy writer and poet. She has poetry published in the Dot Dot Journal, the Collecting Dust anthology; the B222 journal; The Publishing Desk magazine; and the Inscape: An Anthology. Lauren is also the 2024 National Champion in the 200m in wheelchair racing. She loves to crochet and read too many books at once.
The views and opinions expressed in blog posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of all WiT members.
Writers In Trees 