On May 7, 2025, Duke Kunshan University (DKU) Library hosted a vibrant and insightful event titled “Women in Independent Publishing: A History of Unsung Innovators” as part of the DKU Library Author Talk Series in Book Publishing & Printing Studio (BPPS). This Library’s space operates in collaboration with Dr. Stephanie Anderson, equipped with a Risograph printer and other specialized printing machines. It serves as a dedicated space for book printing and publishing courses, offering students hands-on experience.
The event featured Dr. Stephanie Anderson, Assistant Professor of Literature and Creative Writing at DKU, who presented her new book Women in Independent Publishing: A History of Unsung Innovators, 1953–1989. Twenty-two attendees joined in person, and four participated online to explore the history, gender dynamics, and student-driven collaboration behind this groundbreaking book. DKU Interim University Librarian Mengjie Zou opened the session by welcoming the speakers, and Dr. Kolleen Guy, Associate Professor of History at DKU, moderated the discussion.
Dr. Anderson began by tracing the origins of her book, which stemmed from a symposium paper about poet Alice Notley’s magazine, CHICAGO. During the mimeograph revolution, which began in the early 1960s primarily in the United States, small press publications flourished, including CHICAGO.
As a prominent figure from the second generation of the New York School of poetry, Notley remarked that no one had asked her about her editing work before Dr. Anderson’s interview in 2010, a moment that made Dr. Anderson realize how easily women’s labor in independent publishing can be marginalized. To recover these stories, Dr. Anderson conducted in-depth interviews with 25 women and nonbinary editors and publishers, weaving together interviews and archival materials to illuminate a vital yet often overlooked chapter of publishing history.
Author/Editor: Stephanie Anderson
Publisher: University of New Mexico Press
Year of Publication: 2024
Ebook: https://find.library.duke.edu/catalog/DUKE99119712914308501
A focal point of the talk was the gendered power structures of the mid-20th century publishing world. Dr. Anderson described women’s roles as “spies in the audience,” a phrase that came from an interview with Rosmarie Waldrop, the editor of Burning Deck.
“Women’s labor was both vital and informative but also kind of covert,” Dr. Anderson said, highlighting how female editors, printers, and distributors operated within a male-dominated industry. Despite being innovators who sought to trace their lineage back to literary figures like Virginia Woolf, these women were also pioneers, launching their own presses and creating new spaces for literary expression.
What is special about this book is that DKU students played an active role in bringing this project to life. Over several semesters, Dr. Anderson’s students conducted research, transcribed interviews, and built a companion website archive – Spines in the Audience – to showcase research findings (https://sites.duke.edu/spiesintheaudience/). With several of these student contributors soon to graduate, this author talk also served as a celebration of their achievements and a reunion of the collaborative team. Sydney Brown, one of the student researchers, shared her experience in bibliography research, illustrating their thoughts and efforts in making good resources available to others.
The author talk concluded with a dynamic Q&A session, during which attendees posed thoughtful questions about Dr. Anderson’s research process, the challenges of building connections for interviews, and her future projects. A recurring theme was how digital publishing and social media are transforming the way poetry is shared and preserved.
Dr. Kolleen Guy gave a closing remark that “what this book does is to open a conversation,” as it marks the beginning of reclaiming the achievements of these women and nonbinary editors and publishers and studying their contributions as serious scholarly work.
About the Speakers
Dr. Stephanie Anderson
Assistant Professor of Literature and Creative Writing, Duke Kunshan University
Her research asks how poems and the documents that surround them circulate through time and space and travel among persons. She is especially interested in genre play in 20th century U.S.-based poetry, as explored through small press publishing, material text and the archive. Her teaching interests at Duke Kunshan include modern and contemporary literature, creative writing, and textual production/bookmaking.
Dr. Kolleen Guy
Associate Professor of History, Duke Kunshan University;
Associate Dean for Academic Services, Duke Kunshan University
Her main research interest is on how both the consumption and production of food and drink shape national memory and identity. Her teaching interests at Duke Kunshan include global history and areas related to food systems and the environment.
