Katherine Sullivan ’84

DEGREES: B.A., philosophy (Trinity College); M.A., philosophy (Boston College); M.F.A., poetry (Virginia Tech)

JOB TITLE: Owner/Publisher of YesYes Books, a literary press; co-founder and current editor of Vinyl Poetry, an online literary magazine.

FAVORITE TRINITY MEMORY: Any time spent with Dan Sullivan (’84). We began dating in October of our senior year, married a year later, raised five children together (currently 16, 20, 21, 22 and 25), and are still having a blast. Thank you for that, Trinity!

REPORTER: What are Vinyl Poetry and YesYes Books?
SULLIVAN: Vinyl Poetry is an online literary magazine that I co-founded about two years ago, when I was working toward my MFA in poetry. The magazine comes out about three times a year and has included poetry from such brilliant forces as Bob Hicok, Franz Wright, and Andrea Cohen. The mag also includes visual art and odd-ball works in a “Grocery List” section. We are working toward including fiction. I feel very lucky to have published work from some great names in both the traditional print and indie lit scenes, but I am equally excited about pushing forward work by amazing but not yet known voices such as Metta Sama, Dana Guthrie Martin, and Keetje Kuipers.

As I was finishing my MFA, I began to think about what my next step should be. With five grown children (or nearly grown) and an 18-month-old granddaughter, I felt a little old to enter the college teaching pool. But I love poetry. I love to write it. I love to read it. I also love working with other writers. And with the five kids mostly moved on, I’ve got a little bit of brain space that needs to be filled. Publishing was the answer for me and YesYes Books was born.

REPORTER: What kinds of material does YesYes Books publish?
SULLIVAN: YesYes Books published its first full-length poetry collection in September 2011. Two more followed pretty quickly. In all three cases, I was shooting for high-end physical product that reflects and engages with the poetry inside. The print publishing world is in trouble. It is so easy to get reading material for cheap or free online. My answer to the current situation is to up the quality of the print books, to produce books people want to hold. A lot of care goes into not only the cover art but also the papers used.

The poetry in these volumes is highly accessible. That is important to me. Poetry is about passion of all kinds. So many folks think poetry is an intellectual exercise. I feel it is the opposite. The poetry that draws me in is about longing and grief and sex and confusion. This is the stuff that lives in our minds, hearts, and bodies every day.

REPORTER: What are the benefits of Vinyl Poetry being an online publication?
SULLIVAN: After the first four issues, Vinyl has gathered a readership of over 10,000 individuals across 97 countries. This is the reason I chose to pursue founding an online magazine rather than a print magazine. The
goal is to get the poetry and art I love out to as many readers as possible. And because the online world is easy to work in with little funding and because poets generously offer their work for free, the product is free. And why not? In my ideal world, artists make a living off what they produce (still trying to work that end out!) but art is free.

REPORTER: What is the most rewarding part of your work?
SULLIVAN: My favorite part of the job is working with writers, particularly writers whose work I am passionate about but who do not yet have a full collection. The first three books out of YesYes (Heavy Petting by Gregory Sherl, Panic Attack, USA by Nate Slawson, and I Don’t Mind if You’re Feeling Alone by Thomas Patrick Levy) are the first full collections for all three poets, and I feel incredibly blessed that their maiden voyage was with YesYes Books. I also love working on innovative products for the online world that are aimed at pushing poetry and art out into this new landscape.Along those lines, YesYes Books has developed a line of WebBooks that take the idea behind eBooks and go one better. Our line of Poetry Shots pairs chapbook length manuscripts from widely diverse poets with artwork from artists ranging from a brilliant young illustration student at Parsons School of Design to a painter and sculpture from Ethiopia, whose career spans more than 20 years.

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