press release

CEP ISSUES STATEMENT REGARDING SARAH DESSEN SITUATION


Cheyenne, WY (November 16, 2019) — As a socially engaged publisher, Cow Eye Press takes seriously its moral and ethical obligation to offer unsolicited opinions on a wide variety of topics and issues - including those that may have little or no direct relevance to us. The recent controversy involving YA author Sarah Dessen is yet another example of a passing concern that we could not, either in good conscience or in good faith, remain silent on.

For the sake of brevity, we will leave the facts of this issue to the people who have faith in such things and instead concern ourselves exclusively with their implications. Specifically, we offer the following Statement of Principles to codify our thoughts on this matter:


STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES FOR INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING

Principle #1: On writers who are served by literary agents. It is no secret that literary agents are the gatekeepers of contemporary American literature. But a person with a literary agent is a specific type of person, one quite removed from the vast majority of humanity. While these individuals may share certain traits and habits with each other, they do not represent the much broader and diverse world where literary agents do not predominate. Unfortunately, it is this lack of diversity that leads to the sad homogeneity we see in mainstream literary fiction. Stated bluntly: at present, there are more than seven billion people in the world yet virtually none of them have literary agents. So why is it that the tiny minority who do - that this extremely narrow slice of humanity - why is it that these people are in control of our literature?


Principle #2: On writing as a communal activity. When cattle organize themselves into herds that live and travel together, it is to enjoy the security and access to resources that come with being a contributing member of a larger community of mutually supportive peers. Fiction writers can achieve similar benefits by becoming good literary citizens who readily provide blurbs for each other's books, cross-share each other's social media statements, publicly endorse each other's work, serve together on various literary panels and prize juries, refer to specific colleagues as "wonderful" or "incredibly talented", and generally take time to uplift a fellow author who may be struggling through an acute moment of neediness. Of course it is not for us to judge the ethics or sincerity of such transactions; nor is it our intention to demean those successful authors whose continued pursuit of an artistic ideal is wholly or partly dependent upon similarly performative displays of literary and professional community-building.

Principle #3: On authors who write multiple books. It has been said - and we agree - that an author of only one book is a book, while an author of more than one book is a brand. But a brand cannot be physically read any more than a metonym can be tangibly touched or tasted. For this reason, we have the utmost respect for those authors who limit themselves to writing a single book.

Principle #4: On the tendency of literature to descend into spectacle. For more on this, please see: #LiteratureAsSpectacle.

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ABOUT SARAH DESSEN: According to her Wikipedia page, "Sarah Dessen was born in Evanston, Illinois, on June 6, 1970 to Alan and Cynthia Dessen, who were both professors at the University of North Carolina, teaching Shakespearean literature and classics. As a teenager, Dessen was very shy and quiet and became involved with a 21-year-old when she was 15."

ABOUT COW EYE PRESS: Cow Eye Press is a publishing house specializing in literary fiction with an intercultural focus. Its readers enjoy works that challenge the mind and enrich the soul by exploring the boundaries of culture and society. For more information, visit the Cow Eye Press website at www.coweyepress.com.

CONTACT: Natalie Zeldner, Editor, Cow Eye Press editors@coweyepress.com