Michelle Arnett and Michele (Nicole) Vanderwal : Starting a Press Amidst a Pandemic with Rose Garden Press

 

 

 

Rose Garden Press was started by two friends of the same name (Michelle Arnett & Michele Vanderwal) in the Fall of 2019. On what at the time felt a bit of a whim, in retrospect, was a pivotal challenge accepted. MV had spent time as an intern at Penguin and had just finished a publishing program at Ryerson, and MA was in the final days of her Master of Library and Information Science program at Western. We were both ready to step outside the predictability afforded by our years spent in the classroom, and were dizzied with the notion of taking the roots of what we had learned and planting them in the soil of our day-to-day lives. Our patience had worn thin listening to our own lamentations of the creative hours lost to jobs that, more often than not, left us drained and feeling further and further removed from our ambitions. Inspired by the literary, and greater creative community of London, Ontario, we took our knowledge and experience working in books, and our passion from undergrads in Creative Writing, English Lit., and Philosophy, and decided to build something prioritizing creative expression and flourishment—something that would be personally sustainable, likely non-traditional, and literary.

While it isn’t possible that we could have foreseen the pandemic, knowing our keen enjoyment of new projects and challenges, and eagerness and persistence to learn, I don’t believe it would have deterred us. Turns out, months spent in relative isolation created a near-perfect environment for Rose Garden Press to begin cultivation. Throughout those months we cycled through what felt like the entire spectrum of human emotion. But while largely blocked off from the outside world, we confronted our own too-long-neglected writing, intuitive wisdom and inspiration found in drafts, and were able to dedicate many uninterrupted hours setting things up; sourcing equipment, paper and supply manufacturers, and planning our goals and mission for the press.

Of course, starting the press hasn’t been without its challenges. We have come to learn that, in establishing Rose Garden Press, just like with any creative project, there needs to be a balance of obsession and healthy detachment. Our passion and due diligence has proven necessary in setting up shop and building a presence within the community. We have found, however, that a failure to separate at times from this work (especially as two friends with distinctive skill sets and perspectives) can lead to frustration and myopia. In part, this is because we are both big-picture thinkers who also have the tendency to hone in on small details to a fault. It’s been important for us to reflect on the process as we go; to acknowledge when ego might be at the wheel, when it’s time to take a breather, and to remember that just as the literary landscape is rife with innovation and in a constant state of adaptation, this will also be reflected in the journey of the press. Our growth will depend on the impending challenges we face, as well as our willingness to learn from a number of resources and experiences, including our own mistakes.

While we would love to dedicate the majority of our time to the press, it remains a part-time job that we must balance with the demands of working full time. While we were humbled to receive funding from the London Arts Council for our 2021 year, Rose Garden Press, like many other new small presses, initially started out of pocket. While future funding is uncertain, we have been blessed with a supportive community abundant in opportunities and healthy early book sales. For 2022, we’re aiming to publish 4 chapbooks, and will be accepting submissions until March 2022! We are very excited to read the incoming manuscripts and for another year of learning and creating with new writers! We also hope to experiment with letterpress printing for some of these titles and are eager to develop new technical skills, take part in more incredible events within our community, and extend our reach to create awareness and exposure for our writers.

Rose Garden Press was founded on the shared vision of “providing a platform that prioritizes vulnerable expression and centres the voices and moments at the periphery.” We know it is imperative to keep this in mind every step of the publishing process. Ultimately, it is the collective appreciation for writing and creating that sustains our excitement and growth as both writers and publishers. The handmade, craft-like form of the chapbook is one that we’ve fallen in love with, but is one that is best personalized by the incomparable worlds held in the pages. The chance to discuss and represent a collective expression of personal insights and the exploration of where they might intersect—possibly even transform—is what we value the most, and hope to be able to continue to do for years to come!

 

 

 

 

 

Michelle Arnett lives in London, Ontario, where she completed a BA in English/Philosophy and MLIS at Western University. She is a publisher and co-founder of Rose Garden Press, through which she self-published a collection of poetry, the bird bath poems (2020). Her poetry has also been published by Canthius (2021).

Michele (Nicole) Vanderwal has self-published two collections of poetry, Touch Consciousness (Lulu, 2014) and the bird bath poems (Rose Garden Press, 2020). She currently resides in Mount Brydges as publisher and co-founder of Rose Garden Press, which publishes handcrafted poetry chapbooks.