Celebrating the many ways university press publishing has evolved and excelled over the last decade, the Association of University Presses has chosen “Keep UP” as the theme for this year’s tenth annual University Press Week (UP Week). The event runs from Monday, November 8, through Friday, November 12.
“Keep UP” is significant in a time when great change has come to all quarters of book publishing and the media. For university presses, the past decade has presented opportunities that have allowed these nonprofit publishers to explore new ways to reach readers, amplify ideas, and sustain scholarly communities while remaining steadfast in their commitment to advancing knowledge. To mark a momentous and eventful decade of university press publishing and UP Week, this year AUPresses members have suggested a “Keep UP Gallery” and Reading List that showcase books, journals, open access reading platforms, podcasts, and other efforts that put member university presses at the forefront of today’s issues and ideas.
AUPresses President, University of Georgia Press Director Lisa Bayer, agreed. “As the world changes, so do university presses, adapting subject areas, author lists, and publishing know-how to grow into an ever more diverse, ever more global community,” she said. “An informed society is as important as ever, and we are proud to honor the forward-thinking work that has made university presses leaders in their fields and a force to keep up with.”
Events and promotions during the week will celebrate these and other achievements of the past decade, as well as the bright future of university press publishing. The UP community will host online celebrations of this year’s theme via a blog tour, and industry supporters such as Ingram, NetGalley, and Baker & Taylor also will mark the week online through special messages and marketing. A virtual panel focused on the strengths and challenges of university press publishing organized by Seminary Co-op in Chicago, will take place on Wednesday, November 10, at 2 p.m. ET, featuring bestselling University of West Virginia Press author Deesha Philyaw, University of North Carolina Press Publisher John Sherer, Point Reyes Books owner and longtime bookseller Stephen Sparks, and Seminary Co-op’s own Alena Jones.
Texas based University Press Submissions:
Baylor University Press The Politics of Persecution: Middle Eastern Christians in an Age of Empire By Mitri Raheb
Texas A&M University Press Making Space for Women: Stories from Trailblazing Women of NASA's Johnson Space Center By Jennifer M. Ross-Nazzal
Texas Tech University Press The West Texas Power Plant that Saved the World: Energy, Capitalism, and Climate Change By Andy Bowman
University of North Texas Press Classic Keys: Keyboard Sounds That Launched Rock Music By Alan S. Lenhoff & David E. Robertson
University of Texas Press Teaching Black History to White People By Leonard N. Moore
Association of University Presses is an organization of more than 150 international nonprofit scholarly publishers. Since 1937, AUPresses advances the essential role of a global community of publishers whose mission is to ensure academic excellence and cultivate knowledge. The Association holds intellectual freedom, integrity, stewardship, and diversity and inclusion as core values. AUPresses members are active across many scholarly disciplines, including the humanities, arts, and sciences, publish significant regional and literary work, and are innovators in the world of digital publishing.
