As we get closer to setting the interior layout of the anthology, I want to share my Publisher's Note that will preface C.T.'s introduction to the book as a reminder of the Belle Point Press vision and an expression of gratitude for how far we've already come. Thanks for being here.
Publisher’s Note
When we published the first Mid/South Anthology last year, my husband and I had no idea what to expect. It was a leap of faith into the publishing world that has rewarded us with new relationships and the momentum to start building this press into something that we hope will last.
This time around, I felt more confident, largely thanks to the friendship and direction of C.T. Salazar. As soon as I landed on the idea of sonnets as the next anthology’s focus, C.T. was the obvious choice to help form this project into something more fully representative of the in-betweenness of the Mid-South, the Delta, and the expansiveness of Southern culture. C.T.’s roots in the region made me feel right at home developing this collection with him, and I’m forever grateful for—and immensely proud of—what we’ve put together.
The sonnet felt right for a poetry anthology because it remains tethered to a tradition while continually shaping itself to match the experiences that inspire it. In Mid/South Sonnets, you’ll find familiar and surprising approaches to the form, though they largely share a common goal in navigating home and the people who make (or break) us. While Belle Point Press remains committed to seeking and nurturing the creative lives of writers who choose to maintain their homes here, in and around this place—the Mid-South—in this collection we were struck by the range of people who either continue to feel a sense of belonging here after they leave or who decide to stick around after coming from elsewhere. The sonnet offers a similar flexibility, rooted in the universal process of struggling through something broken to emerge a little more formed, even if not entirely whole.
Thank you for reading. Come find us where the rivers meet.
Casie Dodd
Founder and Publisher, Belle Point Press
We’ve also extended the campaign as we work on finishing proofs and have added new perks—you can now get a wooden Shakespeare bookmark or an additional book by an anthology contributor from our friends at Bull City Press with your Mid/South Sonnets pre-order! We have two SIGNED copies of C.T.’s chap, American Cavewall Sonnets, and five copies each of Christian J. Collier’s The Gleaming of the Blade and Jim Whiteside’s Writing Your Name on the Glass. Head over to Indiegogo now to claim these before they’re gone!