Writer and editor Kimmy Beach said recently of Mansfield Press that it “is known for flipping the bird at what Canadians are supposed to write about and publish, and I couldn’t be happier.” Formed in 1999 by publisher and editor Denis de Klerck, Mansfield was established precisely as a response to the existing CanLit scene, which was at that time a sea of multinational companies growing still bigger around surrounding, hands-on, independent publishing houses.
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ALU Editor
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Writer and editor Kimmy Beach said recently of Mansfield Press that it “is known for flipping the bird at what Canadians are supposed to write about and publish, and I couldn’t be happier.” Formed in 1999 by publisher and editor Denis de Klerck, Mansfield was established precisely as a response to the existing CanLit scene, which was at that time a sea of multinational companies growing still bigger around surrounding, hands-on, independent publishing houses.
Mansfield’s debut list, released in May 2000, featured four collections by accomplished poets Diana Fitzgerald Bryden, Margaret Christakos, Corrado Paina, and Ann Shin. This first list heralded Mansfield’s beginnings of one of the best places to find groundbreaking and challenging works of literature. In 2007, editor Stuart Ross joined the press under his own imprint, a stuart ross book.
With a strong focus on poetry, Mansfield is dedicated to nurturing a new generation of writers and introducing them to the world, as well as provide a platform for seasoned writers to say what they want. In 2013, one such seasoned writer, David McFadden, won the Griffin Poetry Prize for his Mansfield-published collection What’s the Score? Located in the heart of Toronto’s Little Italy neighbourhood, with strong ties to its community, Mansfield strives to foster the exchange between writers and readers.
