By Priyanka Joshi, Elizabeth Haslam and William Swift
Founded in 2015, Wave Books is an independent press based in Seattle, Washington that focuses on poetry. With a passion for innovative and contemporary poetry as well as poetry in translation, Wave Books has become the home of modern poetry. An extensive list of poets and collections on a broad range of themes from the creative process to the search for freedom fills their website.
This press boasts a busy events calendar which includes readings, poetry festivals and seminars on the works of particular poets. However, their 2006 Poetry Bus tour takes top spot in the list of their events. This unique trip saw a group of poets visit fifty Northern American cities in just fifty days.
Notable Releases
Madness, Rack and Honey by Mary Ruefle
Madness, Rack and Honey, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in Criticism, is a witty, contemplative collection of essays exploring the art of poetry and the nuances of language. Ruefle reflects on topics like the purpose of poetry, the creative process and the inherent challenges of writing, often blending humour with profound insights. She questions conventional ideas, celebrates the beauty of uncertainty and encourages readers to see poetry as both an obsession and a source of wonder. Ideal for poetry lovers and writers, Ruefle’s essays offer a fresh, accessible perspective on creativity, art and the human experience.
Quintessence of the Minor by Garrett Caples
Quintessence of the Minor, winner of the Northern California Book Award in Creative Nonfiction, is a thought-provoking collection of essays that celebrates lesser-known writers, overlooked art forms and unconventional creative expressions. Caples champions the “minor” in literature and artworks that often fall outside mainstream recognition. Through witty, insightful prose, he examines the value of these hidden gems, challenging readers to reconsider the boundaries of cultural importance. Ideal for literary enthusiasts and art lovers, Quintessence of the Minor offers a fresh perspective on artistic appreciation and the richness found in the overlooked corners of creativity.
To Float in the Space Between: A Life and Work in Conversation with the Life and Work of Etheridge Knight by Terrance Hayes
To Float in the Space Between: A Life and Work in Conversation with the Life and Work of Etheridge Knight by Terrance Hayes, winner of the Poetry Foundation’s Pegasus Award for Poetry Criticism, is a profound meditation on the life, art and influence of poet Etheridge Knight. Blending biography, criticism and personal reflection, Hayes explores Knight’s impact on his own work and American poetry at large. Through a mix of essays, sketches and poetic musings, Hayes engages with Knight’s powerful voice, tackling themes of race, resilience and the search for freedom.
Ideal for poetry enthusiasts and those interested in African American literary history, To Float in the Space Between offers a rich, layered tribute that celebrates Knight’s enduring legacy and examines the transformative nature of poetic expression.
New Releases
The Others by Matthew Rohrer
Powerful and compelling, this novel-in-verse centres the build up to the climax. With frequent alignment-changing dives into unfinished plots, Rohrer brings a new twist to the “publisher main character.” Released in 2017, The Others captures a day in the life of an entry-level small press employee as he comes into contact with science fiction, tales of Victorian hashish and more. Described as a “nesting doll of plots”, readers driven by an undeniable interest in the narrator will be pulled into the many worlds a professional reader inhabits, ultimately finding a cohesive, immersive experience in anything but cohesion. Crossing “slice of life” characters with science fiction, all written in imaginative free verse, The Others is a powerful selection by a popular Wave author.
Unexplained Presence by Tisa Bryant
Recently released in an updated edition, featuring a new afterword, Unexplained Presence gives voice to characters that would otherwise be marginalised by structure. These structures, both literary and present in our every day, are corrected through complex and visionary characters, spanning from the literary medium to film portrayals. This edition, a recent acquisition from a 2007 contract with Leon Works, is a foundational work in film criticism and beyond. Bryant has been the co-author to many titles, but her first two novels, available through Nightboat Books, are forthcoming.
Four Lectures by Isaac Jarnot
This title, released under Jarnot’s former name, is the seventh in a highly-regarded series of lecture compendiums. In Four Lectures, Jarnot explores the experience of being a woman, having white privilege and a life spent writing poetry. Jarnot, a student at Drew University’s Divinity programme, writes lyrical lectures that reach both readers and listeners. As with the previous titles of the Bagley Wright Lecture Series, Jarnot questions what it means to be a poet and what a poet can envision for the future. Published in May 2024, this latest edition of Jarnot’s work is the backbone of Wave’s poetic catalogue, not only boasting a masterful poet among their ranks, but driving the greater understanding of poetry as an art in whatever form that comes.