Interested in book publishing? Try the new INFS 338

-- Dara Leitner

A new course offered by the university this semester, INFS 338: "The Craft and Commerce of Book Publishing," will explore the evolving publishing industry. Students enrolled in the course will study the market, culture, and careers within different areas of the industry (trade, professional, children’s, and so on) and examine the issues faced.

Anyone can take the course, but the majority of the students enrolled are English, technical communications and writing majors, or information studies minors.

Course Instructor Michelle Filkins, a faculty librarian at Metropolitan State University, is the founding editor of Spout Press, a nonprofit literary press based in the Twin Cities.

This new course will provide students with the opportunity to learn more about the publishing world, which Filkins said students are interested in.

Guest speakers will be a part of the learning experience and will include Alison Vandenberg, marketing director for the Minnesota Historical Society Press and Borealis Books; Chris Fischbach, senior editor at local publishing house Coffee House Press; Eric Loerberer, editor of Rain Taxi Review of Books; Hans Weyendt, owner of Micawber’s Books; and Sarah Fox, publisher of Fuori Editions.

Fieldtrips will also be a part of the course. Students will tour the Elmer L. Anderson Library at the University of Minnesota and meet with Tim Johnson, curator of Special Collections and Rare Books.

Students will also visit the Hmong Resource Center Library at the Hmong Cultural Center. They will learn about the development of the Hmong written language and the unique history and concerns of ethnic and minority presses in the United States.

In order to get a broader exposure to books and publishing, students will also visit the Open Book Center in Minneapolis, as well as various special collections in local libraries and different independent bookstores.

If possible, the class will include a visit to Coffee House Press, which would allow students a behind-the-scenes look at how a local publisher operates.