The Sea Cliff Fund, established by an anonymous donor in
2007, supports the publication of one book of poetry every
other year. The fund takes its name from a scenic area of
Maine where the donor spent many pleasant times. The first
Sea Cliff book will be Taije Silverman’s Houses
Are Fields, to be published in 2009.
The Press, which has published poetry since 1964, has brought
out more than 250 poetry books by some 100 poets. Many of
these books have won awards, and three have won the Pulitzer
Prize. Though the Press’s poetry list is quite distinguished,
it does not provide significant income, and these books rarely
earn back their costs.
We recognize, however, that university presses play a large
role in helping maintain the literary culture in America.
At a time when many publishers are scaling back or even eliminating
their poetry lists, the importance of poetry publication has
never been greater and, too, the need for private support.
The benefactor behind the Sea Cliff Fund appreciates the
work of LSU Press in promoting poetry and realizes the dire
financial state of the art. The result is the Sea Cliff Fund,
which will help continue LSU Press’s distinguished tradition
of excellence in its poetry program.
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