Virginia and John Noland on the porch of the LSU Press building

A Home for Readers & Writers

Halfway down West Lakeshore Drive, in an Acadian-style building facing the lakes, stands LSU Press, home to countless award-winning books. The nonprofit publisher furthers LSUs mission of scholarly inquiry by selecting titles based on scholarly, intellectual and creative merit. This mission-driven approach necessitates partnerships with individuals, foundations and companies that not only recognize the value of the Press mission and work, but are also willing to support the Press through giving. Recently, a group of LSU Press readers recognized the opportunity for private philanthropy as a way to support the states premier academic publisher and contributed funds to establish the infrastructure for a development program. The new program focuses on building relationships with people and organizations who want to contribute to LSUs academic prominence by attracting outstanding authors and publishing their equally outstanding books. Among those who participated in the joint gift to the Press were LSU alumni John and Virginia Noland. The lifelong Baton Rouge residents were inspired by their love of reading, respect for the Press, and loyalty to LSU. The Press list of titles arent only interesting, John declares, but are essential to what the university does. LSU Press is one of the oldest and largest university presses in the South, having published significant works of scholarship and preserved Louisianas history and culture since 1935. It is the winner of four Pulitzer Prizes, including one for John Kennedy Tooles A Confederacy of Dunces. Over half of the Press books remain in print around the world, and the Press hopes to make available many of its out-of-print titles through ebooks. Academic books fuel academic exploration, says LSU College of Art & Design Associate Professor Lake Douglas, whose Public Spaces, Private Gardens was recently published by the Press. Publications must undergo rigorous assessment by outside scholars and receive the favorable recommendation of the University Press Committee, a group of distinguished faculty. Douglas new book, a history of designed landscapes in New Orleans, was published with assistance of private funds provided by three foundations. I knew I wanted to have a lot of images, Douglas says of his book. All of my images are archival, and many havent been published before ... [The grants] allowed me to use most of the images I wanted to use. The books design and liberal

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Cornerstone | Fall 2011 | LSU Foundation

use of color made a big difference. Virginia, who is a member of the Press Advisory Group, recognizes the importance of educating the community about the Press nonprofit status; book sales alone do not generate enough revenue for the Press to fulfill its mission. Because the Press does not have an established alumni base to engage, it relies instead on support from individuals like the Nolands, as well as companies and foundations, to maintain its reputation for publishing excellence. Although some of the books we publish do not generate huge profits, they all make important contributions to our knowledge, explains Portia Levasseur, director of development. Private support for the Press allows us to publish these important works, many of which resonate particularly with the LSU community. John and Virginia have enjoyed many LSU Press titles, naming A Confederacy of Dunces and Mary Ann Sternbergs

Winding through Time: The Forgotten History and PresentDay Peril of Bayou Manchac as their favorites, respectively. John recalls, I can remember being on vacation, hearing my father roaring with laughter at A Confederacy of Dunces. Virginia, too, developed an appreciation for reading at a young age. She recalls trips with her parents to a downtown bookstore where she savored being allowed to choose any books she wanted. Louisiana has a distinct culture, she says, gesturing toward the LSU Press library of published works as she adds, Look around and the culture of Louisiana is represented. Each element of LSU Press, from its wide front porch that seems the perfect spot to curl up with a book to the thickly stacked bookshelves within that chronicle its rich history, reflects its ongoing commitment to publishing great books of which all who care about LSU can be proud.

www.lsupress.org

In 2010, The Southern Review and LSU Press merged, uniting two renowned literary organizations in an effort to maximize resources. The Southern Review publishes fiction, poetry, critical essays, interviews, book reviews, and excerpts from novels in progress, with emphasis on contemporary literature in the U.S. and abroad.

Writer Kelly Cherry shares why LSU Press is meaningful to her:

First, I admire a wide majority of their poetry books and authors; I'm honored to be on their list. Second, the outside readers and the editors make smart, useful comments and suggestions; they make these comments based on the book in hand, not on what they would do if it were their book. Third, I admire the production values of the Press. Fourth, my relationship with LSU Press is the most continuous and sustaining relationship I have ever had with a publisher. Although I've published elsewhere, it's because of LSU Press that I have been able to live my life as a writer. To read about Cherrys support of LSU Press, please see page 29.

(left) Lake Douglas Public Spaces, Private Gardens (right) Lori Bakers Crash and Tell, a newly published collection of short stories, was recently reviewed by Publishers Weekly.

Cornerstone | Fall 2011 | LSU Foundation

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