UW Gazette, December 17, 1997
     
     Whether it germinated or was spawned, Trout Lily Press
was founded with the combination of talent and passion to
ensure it would blossom - or swim, as the case may be.
     It began as the dream of Dr. Charlene Diehl-Jones, a
member of the English faculty at St. Jerome's College, and
"a writer who wanted to publish stuff". So says St. Jerome's
librarian Dr. Gary Draper, who shared her vision of a press
for "really good writing and really beautiful little books."
     The impetus for Trout Lily "comes partly from a love of
the book as object," said Draper. To strengthen their
aesthetic hand, they brought on board Tom Bishop, graphic
designer at Ampersand Studios in Waterloo.
     Since its inception, the Trout Lily trio has published
a broadsheet, three chapbooks and two books of poetry,
fulfilling the tongue-in-cheek motto of the press: "Meeting
the poetry chapbook needs of Perth County and Waterloo
Region since 1996."
     Concisely defined by Oxford as a "small pamphlet of
tales, ballads, tracts, etc., hawked by chapmen," chapbooks
are published by "a number of other fly-by-night op
erations," said Draper, who considers real books as anything
that fits the United Nations definition - a publication
having more than 49 pages.
     Not only does Trout Lily not rigidly abide by its
chapbook mandate, having recently published longer tomes,
but it avoids rigidly abiding by anything, flying not only
by night, but by an intuitive sense honed by years of
writing and editing experience.
     While they wondered briefly where they would find the
writers to publish, the Trout Lily team has discovered with
delight that if you publish, they will come. So far, authors
who have found a voice through Trout Lily include Tom Eadie,
Linda Kenyon, and at a launch earlier this month, April
Bulmer and Diehl-Jones herself.
     On the selection process: "If one of us likes it, we
take it to the other one," laughs Draper, referring to the
two-person editorial team which includes himself and Diehl-
Jones. "If we both like it, we publish it. We're open to
what comes in, to something that catches our fancy."
     They have good reason to trust their instincts.
Although Draper has only one published poem to his credit,
he has reviewed for Books in Canada, Quill and Quire and
other publications for years, serves as an editor for Brick
Books, and along with Diehl-Jones is a poetry editor for The
New Quarterly. A professor of Canadian literature, Diehl-
Jones also brings her sensibility as a writer.
     For Draper, playing "the role of midwife" to fledgling
writers is "enormously satisfying. Our goal is pure
pleasure, the raw pleasure of making something."
     To that end, Trout Lily takes a hands-on approach to
publishing, working closely with authors in the editing
process, and even convening the writer, friends and partners
to put finishing touches on each copy.
     With average printing runs of 500 copies, Trout Lily
has so far covered the costs of its first three
publications. Distribution has not been honed to an exact
science, but happens at the book launchings, with the help
of local bookstores, and sometimes through mail orders.
     Draper credits the support of friends and colleagues -
especially Dr. Michael Higgins, dean of  St. Jerome's - with
much of the success of the fledgling enterprise. And credit
goes as well to its wildflower namesake: yes, there really
is a "trout lily", which not only inspired a "Wordworthian
experience" during one of Draper's hikes along the Bruce
Trail, but has shaped the artistic vision of the press:
"It's so beautiful, so delicate, yet so strong, an
incredibly sturdy, deeply rooted plant, so characteristic of
this region."