NeWest Press

NeWest Press is an independent Canadian not-for-profit publishing company based in Edmonton, Alberta. Established in 1977, it developed from the literary magazine NeWest Review, which had begun publication two years earlier. The press emerged from a literary and academic community associated with the University of Alberta, with early participants including writer Rudy Wiebe and academics Douglas Barbour, George Melnyk, and Diane Bessai. Its origins placed it within the growth of contemporary Canadian literary institutions that sought to provide regional writers with avenues for publication and recognition. The press's first book was Getting Here, an anthology of short stories written by students in creative-writing classes taught by Barbour and Wiebe at the University of Alberta. The anthology included work by writers who would become important figures in Canadian literature, among them Aritha Van Herk, Myrna Kostash, Candas Jane Dorsey, Caterina Edwards, and Helen Rosta. This beginning established a long-running connection between NeWest Press and emerging literary voices. NeWest Press publishes a broad range of literary books. Its catalogue includes literary fiction, nonfiction, poetry, mystery novels, and drama. Although the press has a particular interest in authors and subjects connected with Western Canada, its remit is not exclusive to that region. The publishing program has therefore combined a regional cultural identity with a wider Canadian literary orientation. Through its books, NeWest Press has supported writing that engages with prairie and western landscapes, regional histories, social questions, cultural identity, and the development of contemporary Canadian literature. The press maintains several identifiable publishing lines. Nunatak is devoted to work by first-time authors, giving debut writers a distinct route into book publication. The Writer as Critic series presents nonfiction essays on literary and cultural criticism by Canadian writers. Prairie Play is a drama list described as one of Canada's oldest surviving lines dedicated to publishing plays. The press's association with drama is also reflected in the enduring success of Sharon Pollock's Blood Relations, which remains one of its best-selling titles. NeWest Press operates as a literary institution as well as a commercial publisher. Its importance lies in sustaining a Canadian-owned and regionally rooted publishing program, developing new writers, and preserving space for forms such as poetry, criticism, and drama that can be less central to mass-market publishing. Publicly available reference material identifies a board of directors that includes Leslie Vermeer, Anne Nothof, Wendy McGrath, Jenna Butler, Diane Bessai, Kit Dobson, Smaro Kamboureli, Nicole Markotic, Suzette Mayr, and Michael Phair. The available sources do not provide a complete account of current staff, sales, distribution arrangements, or financial performance. NeWest Press's present identity is best understood as an active Edmonton-based literary press with a continuing emphasis on Canadian writing, Western Canadian voices, debut authors, and specialized literary series.

NeWest Press originated in Edmonton's literary and academic community during the 1970s. Its immediate predecessor was NeWest Review, a literary magazine launched in 1975. The magazine provided a platform for contemporary writing and helped create the network from which the publishing press developed. In 1977, NeWest Press was established as a not-for-profit publishing company. Early members of the founding collective included the writer Rudy Wiebe and University of Alberta academics Douglas Barbour, George Melnyk, and Diane Bessai. The press's first publication was Getting Here, an anthology of short stories produced by students in creative-writing classes taught by Barbour and Wiebe at the University of Alberta. The contributors included Aritha Van Herk, Myrna Kostash, Candas Jane Dorsey, Caterina Edwards, and Helen Rosta. The anthology's contributor list connected the new press with writers who would become notable in Canadian letters and demonstrated its early interest in nurturing new work rather than relying only on established authors. Over time, NeWest Press developed a catalogue spanning literary fiction, nonfiction, poetry, mystery writing, and drama. Western Canadian authors and subjects became a distinctive part of the list, but the press's publishing program was not limited exclusively to the West. Its regional identity functioned as a point of emphasis within a broader commitment to Canadian literary culture. The press also created specialized series. Nunatak was established as a line for first-time authors, reinforcing NeWest's role in introducing debut writers. Writer as Critic focused on nonfiction essays addressing literary and cultural criticism by Canadian writers. Prairie Play developed as a drama-publishing line and is identified as one of Canada's oldest surviving drama lists. This program gave printed plays a continuing place within a Canadian literary catalogue at a time when drama publishing occupied a specialized niche. Sharon Pollock's Blood Relations became one of the press's enduring successes and remains identified as one of its all-time best-selling titles. The work's continued association with NeWest illustrates the importance of drama to the company's history alongside its better-known fiction and poetry publishing. Public reference material identifies a board structure including Leslie Vermeer as president, Anne Nothof as vice-president, Wendy McGrath as treasurer, Jenna Butler as secretary, Diane Bessai as an honorary member, and Kit Dobson, Smaro Kamboureli, Nicole Markotic, Suzette Mayr, and Michael Phair as board members. Detailed information about changes in management, annual output, revenue, distribution, and recent publication history is not established by the supplied sources. NeWest Press is therefore documented most clearly through its institutional origins, literary series, authors, and long-term role as an independent Canadian press.

• 1977

  NeWest Press is established

  [1]NeWest Pressen.wikipedia.org

  A founding collective associated with the University of Alberta establishes NeWest Press as a not-for-profit publishing company in Edmonton, Alberta.

• 1977

  Getting Here becomes the first book

  [1]NeWest Pressen.wikipedia.org

  The press publishes Getting Here, an anthology of short stories by students from Douglas Barbour's and Rudy Wiebe's creative-writing classes.

• 1975

  NeWest Review is launched

  [1]NeWest Pressen.wikipedia.org

  The literary magazine NeWest Review begins publication in Edmonton and provides the immediate creative and organizational foundation for the later press.

A regionally rooted Canadian literary press that combines Western Canadian cultural focus with support for emerging writers, poetry, criticism, fiction, and drama.

• Debut-author publishing line

  Nunatak

  Nunatak is a NeWest Press line dedicated to work by first-time authors. It reflects the press's longstanding role in discovering and developing emerging literary voices, giving debut writers a distinct publishing identity within the broader catalogue. The supplied reference material does not specify its launch date, annual volume, or current submission policies.

• Literary and cultural criticism

  Writer as Critic

  Writer as Critic is a series of nonfiction essays focused on literary and cultural criticism. It publishes critical work by Canadian writers and extends NeWest Press's program beyond imaginative literature into commentary, interpretation, and cultural analysis. The available source identifies the purpose and scope of the series but does not provide a complete bibliography or launch date.

• Drama publishing

  Prairie Play

  Prairie Play is NeWest Press's drama line and is described as one of Canada's oldest surviving lines devoted to publishing plays. The series gives Canadian dramatic writing a durable book-publishing outlet and represents an important part of the press's identity alongside fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Specific catalogue totals and launch details are not provided in the source material.

• Play

  Blood Relations

  Sharon Pollock's Blood Relations is a drama title published by NeWest Press and is identified as one of the company's all-time best-selling books. Its continuing prominence illustrates the commercial and cultural importance of the Prairie Play program. The supplied sources do not establish the play's original publication year or sales figures.

1. 1NeWest Pressen.wikipedia.org
2. 2NeWest Press official websitenewestpress.com