I am extremely proud and excited to present the books in this series. This has been a long time coming and something that I think exemplifies the goals and mission of the press. The Riverend Series comprises the writing and art of the place we call home; The Quad Cities is a place made up of various cities and cultures and people. Even East Moline.
Riverend is a made-up word that refers to the Rock River’s end (which is the place we live and where it enters in confluence with the Mississippi River). The word conjures reverence or revered. Through this project Stone Corpse Press will be able to contribute to at least one local artist/author’s ability to create through a financial contribution as well as an opportunity to engage with the local writing community. The selected author will receive publication with Stone Corpse Press which includes a $300 travel stipend which can be used for a book tour, or in any manner they choose. As a part of the Riverend Series we will hold a reading after the book is published to help promote the author/ artist and engage with the community as an important part of the project. The Riverend Series is an important step both for the press but also for me as an artist and publisher.
I am grateful to the people at Quad City Arts for funding this project, for seeing the value in something like this and for giving a local artist like me a chance to collaborate with other local artists, a chance to give back to those artists and shops that support our community.
Adrian Cole’s collection of poetry was selected as the winning chapbook for the series exactly because it captures and sings to life the searching for what it means to exist in the borders of the body. The connection to our place is clear. The poems embody, and even sometimes take on the form, of our region. By the Edge is a collection of poetry that features hybrid writing and concrete poems.
Sarah Elgatian’s Effigy is a hybrid chapbook of poetry and creative nonfiction that invites the reader into a complex world of diverging narratives that shocks the reader into understanding. A world of confusion whose explanations are not always satisfying. Elgatian’s attempt to understand and deal with grief is a boon to us all.
Stone Corpse Press 