DownSouth Press Team |
Tina
McElroy Ansa Founder and Publisher |
Blanche Richardson Senior Editor |
Joneé Ansa Production Designer |
Varnette P. Honeywood Art Consultant |
Bernadette
Adams Davis Publicist |
Shelia
Worthy Marketing Rep |
Kara
Walker Web Designer |
CRITICAL
ACCLAIM TINA
McELROY ANSA
|
DownSouth Press was founded
in 2007 and created to publish and promote the literature of African-American
people that will enrich, enlighten and edify the world. |
Subscribe to our mailing list for the latest news and information.
Mailng List Powered by Dada Mail
SUPPORT DOWNSOUTH PRESS
Many of us remember that it was not so long ago when families, communities and organizations came together to support efforts that uplifted the entire group. Whether it was sending the first child in a family off to college with warm clothes, money for books and even a bus ticket or getting a young couple off to a good solid start in a marriage or helping a family rebuild after a natural disaster. Those cooperative efforts are part of our culture and our strength. And they were how we accomplished so much in a time when people appeared to have little to offer.
Experience has taught us, however, that there is no such thing as “little to offer.” I launched DownSouth Press in March of 2007 at the Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery, a very meaningful place for our people and this nation. . In the same way that Mrs. Parks took a stand for freedom and justice, I know that we at DownSouth Press can take a stand for meaningful and rich African-American literature that uplifts all American readers.
We plan to publish with each of the four lists per year the work of an established author and of an emerging author. DownSouth Press takes seriously the task of encouraging new writers. The first title for Spring 2008 list is my fifth novel TAKING AFTER MUDEAR. And we are looking for ways to print many copies of the novel so that we can make the book widely available and show the world that DownSouth Press means business.
In the year that DownSouth Press has been in operation, we have seen entities such as the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), an internationally recognized institution based in that coastal city, step forward and contribute 200 copies of beautiful full-color bound galleys of our first title, TAKING AFTER MUDEAR, because, as President Paula S. Wallace said, “we believe in DownSouth Press and what you are doing there.”
We have been blessed with supporters who have contributed 10s of 1000s of Frequent Flier Miles to make it possible for DownSouth Press authors to get on the road, attend book festival and conferences and lectures to promote our books. Loving individuals and civic organizations in my hometown of Macon, Georgia and around the country have offered to host and sponsor fundraisers for the publishing company. And we have received contributions of time, contacts, cash and expertise from others.
We at DownSouth Press believe that that same collective spirit is alive and well.
In that spirit, we are reaching out to our friends and supporters to offer an opportunity to contribute/donate/invest/ to step forward or be a part of this effort by contributing in many ways:
Here is a list of some of the first companies and individuals who have stepped forward to support DownSouth Press:
The literature and culture that reflect our lives and times is so dear to my heart, and over the last year since founding DownSouth Press, I have been so encouraged to learn how many people feel the same. I am determined to use my public forum as a writer and a publisher to continue championing the issues that affect us all. Like many of you, I believe there is nothing more important to the strengthening of our society and culture here at the beginning of the 21st Century than our stories, our lives and our literature.
In this collective spirit, DownSouth Press is reaching out to its supporters and providing suggestions and opportunities for you to be a part of this effort to honor and respect what is truly vital to us all: Literature that reflects the authentic, complex American story.