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Story Line Press records
M2553
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Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
Department of Special Collections and University Archives
Title: Story Line Press records
Creator:
Story Line Press
source:
Gioia, Dana
Identifier/Call Number: M2553
Physical Description:
28 Linear Feet
65 manuscript boxes
Date (inclusive): 1984-2006
Abstract: Correspondence, production files, and business records of Story Line Press, an outgrowth of the New Formalism movement in
twentieth century American poetry.
Physical Location: Special Collections and University Archives materials are stored offsite and must be paged 36 hours in advance.
Open for research. Note that material must be requested at least 36 hours in advance of intended use. Note that Box 59 is
embargoed until 2075.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection was given by Dana Gioia to Stanford University in November 2019.
The collection is arranged into four series: 1. Correspondence and Proofs 2. Anthologies 3. Business Records 4. THE REAPER
and Robert McDowell materials
Story Line Press was founded in 1984 with funding from the Nicholas Roerich Museum. The Press grew out of
The Reaper, a literary magazine founded in 1980 by Robert McDowell and Mark Jarman. Both
The Reaper and Story Line Press were part of the New Narrative and New Formalism movements in American poetry. These movements went
against the free verse poetics of the 1950s Beats poets and advocated for a return to meter and rhyme, as well as a recognition
of the importance of narrative. Story Line Press' original editorial and creative team consisted of poets Robert McDowell
and Mark Jarman, and visual artist Lysa McDowell. The Press was originally located in Santa Cruz, California, and followed
the McDowells when they moved to Brownsville, Oregon, in 1989 and Ashland, Oregon, in 1998. In addition to publishing poetry,
the Press published a number of translated works, short fiction pieces, and essays on literary criticism. Authors and frequent
collaborators of the Press included Dana Gioia, Paul Lake, Annie Finch, Frederick Feirstein, and David Mason. As part of
the New Narrative and New Formalism movements, Story Line Press released essays in anthologies highlighting work done in the
movements, including
Expansive Poetry: Essays on the New Narrative and the New Formalism (1989),
Poetry After Modernism (1991),
Rebel Angels: 25 Poets of the New Formalism (1996), and
After New Formalism: Poets on Form, Narrative, and Tradition (1999). The Press also focused on writing about the rural experience, featuring writers living in rural parts of the United
States and publishing anthologies like
Cowboy Poetry Matters: From Abilene to the Mainstream (2000). Following years of struggles to find sufficient funding and failed efforts to have Story Line Press acquired by
Willamette University or Southern Oregon University, Story Line ceased operation in the early 2000s.
[identification of item], Story Line Press records (M2553). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford
Libraries, Stanford, Calif.
The collection consists of correspondence, production files, and business records of Story Line Press, a literary and poetry
press that was part of the New Formalism and New Narrative movements during the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s. The bulk
of the collection is made up of author files containing correspondence between Robert McDowell, the press editor, and various
authors; production files; and manuscript proofs of forthcoming publications. Files for poetry anthologies released by Story
Line Press have similar contents, but for multiple contributing authors. The collection also includes the business records
for Story Line Press, including Board minutes, correspondence, publishing agreements, and financial statements. Some materials
from McDowell's involvement with
The Reaper magazine are also included.
While Special Collections is the owner of the physical and digital items, permission to examine collection materials is not
an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Any transmission
or reproduction beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the owners of rights, heir(s) or assigns.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
American poetry -- 20th century.
American poetry- -20th century- -History and criticism
Narrative poetry, American
New Formalism (American poetry)
American poetry -- West (U.S.)
Gioia, Dana
McDowell, Robert
McDowell, Lysa