SU Press highlights untold community stories through Read New York
The Read New York Challenge showcases a monthly book, where readers can receive a free e-book and a newsletter of the chosen book. The selected books take place in regions from Buffalo to the Adirondacks. MARLEY WONG | DAILY ORANGE FILE PHOTO
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Jackson Adams noticed older books from Syracuse University Press, like 1998’s “River of Mountains: A Canoe Journey down the Hudson” and 2014’s “The Tumble Inn,” were receiving less attention. Looking to bring them back into the spotlight, he spearheaded a new challenge.
“We publish a number of books each year, but because of that, we have dozens of books that came out years before,” said Adams, the promotion and publicity coordinator for SU Press. “We often kind of want to find a way to get that backlist back in front of people.”
The Read New York Challenge, launched by SU Press on Monday, highlights books from the New York State and Regional Studies Series. Every month, readers will receive a free e-book and a newsletter of the chosen book of the month.
The books shown in the challenge aim to show SU Libraries’ expansive catalogue, including fiction and nonfiction books. The stories’ central locations, all throughout New York state, go to the Adirondacks and as far west as Buffalo.
In this month’s showcase, “Declaring Disaster: Buffalo’s Blizzard of ‘77 and the Creation of FEMA” covers a destructive snowstorm in the city. Adams said this book would serve as a seasonal and relevant read given Syracuse’s cold climate.
This project connects to the mission of SU Press. Books published by SU Press tend to be rejected by large publishing companies, allowing SU’s role as a nonprofit to circulate otherwise untold stories that affect the local community, Catherine Cocks, director of SU Press, said.
Adams wanted to bring in new readers in the community through the project. By picking a variety of books across multiple genres, including fiction and nonfiction, Adams hopes to show the general community what SU Press offers.
“This just seemed like a great way to bring those books back and put them in front of people and say, ‘here’s why we loved them then and here’s why you’ll love them now,’” Adams said.
After attending multiple book conventions, Adams wanted to hear more from readers about the Press’ books. Adams became inspired to bring connections with readers to SU, thus starting the Read New York Challenge.
“One of the things I love about working in publishing is getting to talk to and interact with readers,” Adams said. “Going to an exhibit or convention, and hearing somebody tell me what their favorite book is a valuable part of it.”
Laura Fish, the acquisitions editor for SU Press, said the project is a way for SU Press to serve as an intermediary between the press and the community. She wants to help them reach out to new readers interested in learning more about the state.
As the director of SU Press, Cocks said she became a “cheerleader” for the project after Adams suggested the project.
“I thought it was a great idea, because it brings attention to the work that we do and the books we publish,” Cocks said. “There’s at least one on this list that hasn’t been published yet and is brand new.”
Cocks said the project helps SU Press engage with not just the Syracuse community, but the surrounding area, reaching people who are interested in New York state and its local history.
“Our way of being a good neighbor is to publish books about New York state,” Cocks said. “A lot of these are stories that are really meaningful to the people who live here, but they may not succeed at a big commercial press like Penguin Random House.”
Through the project, Cocks and Adams said they hope to make an impact by bringing more attention to the work that SU Press offers its readers. Although the project recently started, Adams aims to use it to further connect readers and authors across New York.
Fish sees the project’s selection of books as a way to further educate and reconnect New Yorkers reading, serving as a way to improve literacy in the state.
“There are constant concerns about how much people are seeking out books in all forms,” Fish said. “Whether that’s print books or e-books or audio books, and hoping that (the challenge) at least creates some discussion and feeling of community.”
