Watershed Press


Type Of Organization
Press
Mission Statement / Editorial Focus
About Watershed Press Watershed Press was founded by Paul E. Nelson, Jason Tetsuzen Wirth, and Adelia MacWilliam in 2023 to support their first publications, Cascadian Zen, Volume One and Two, a carefully curated collection of poetry, essays, interviews, art, and photography from the bioregion of Cascadia. The founding editors live and work in the ancestral lands of the Coast Salish, specifically, the Duwamish, and the Cowichan. Our publications include Indigenous and non-Indigenous authors from the traditional and unceded territories of many nations in the bioregion of Cascadia, and elsewhere, who have stewarded these lands from time immemorial. We foster compelling work by a wide range of voices allied deeply with place and sustainable and Indigenous approaches to navigating the ecological and political harm of the Anthropocene in the bioregion of Cascadia. We’re committed to poetries, and stories that have been traditionally suppressed and distorted by colonization. We want to make room for all marginalized voices, including writing at the aesthetic margins, and believe in speaking truth to political power with compassion. We practice collective decision making in all our dealings at an institutional level. We are committed to offering works that do not compromise art for fashion or commerce. We mirror the act of attention essential in creating radical poetry and prose in our publishing process. To quote Robert Bringhurst: The Old World and the New are not two regions marked reliably on maps. The Old World is wherever indigenous traditions are permitted to exist. The New World is wherever such traditions are denied and a vision of human triumph is allowed to take their place. The Old World is the self-sustaining world – worldwide – to which we all owe our existence. The New World is the synthetic, self-absorbed, and unsustainable one – also worldwide – that we create. – From: A Story As Sharp As a Knife

Is Your Group Affiliated With A University, Portal Or Other Agency?
yes
If Yes, Please Name
Cascadia Poetics Lab
Primary Editor/Contact Person
Adelia MacWilliam
Contact Title
Founding Co-Editor
Contact Email
Publishes
nonfiction, poetry, art
Representative Authors
Robert Bringhurst, Daphne Marlatt, Gary Snyder
Accepts Unsolicited Submissions
No
Simultaneous Submissions Accepted
yes
Reading Period
Varies
Reporting Time
01 - 12 months
Author Payments
copies
Number Of Paid Staff
zero
Number Of Unpaid Staff
two
Year Founded
2023
Distributors
Ingram Spark
Number Of Books Published Per Year
1
Titles In Print
one as of September 1st
Percentage Of Above Available Digitally
zero
Hardcover
5%
Paperback
95%
Average Price Per Book
$30.00
Average Price Per E-Book
to be determined
Name
Adelia MacWilliam
Title
managing editor
How Did You Arrive At Your Current Position?
I was one of the three co-editors of an anthology and we decided to set up a press to distribute the book. Now we have other authors interested in publishing with us but we are just getting started.
What Is The Staff Structure At Your Magazine/press?
We are all volunteers.
Do You Have Any Cover Letter Advice?
Please tell us how your work is relative to our mission statement.
How Are Submissions Processed In Your Magazine/press?
We are not accepting submissions until next year as we are a new press and need to create some funding to pay editors and book designers before we can be in a position to take on more books. Once we do we will be working through Submittable.
What Do You Look For In A Submission?
We will be looking for work that is place-based and tackles the complex spiritual, environmental, and social issues that arise when a writer sends their imagination across the land and its fraught history.
What Advice Do You Have For First-time Submitters?
I would advise any author interested in publishing with us to take a close look at our mission statement.
Do You Have A Favorite Unsolicited Submission Discovery Or Anecdote?
Not yet.
Who Is Your Ideal Reader?
Our ideal reader is interested in environmental issues and promoting decolonization.

Press