Columbus State University Press
History
CSU Press was officially formed by Columbus State University in 2021. The Donald L. Jordan endowment was established, in part, to aid in the development and creation of the press. We are extremely grateful to Mr. Jordan for his support. CSU Press will be the publishing venue for the Donald L. Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence. DLJ Books is the first imprint of CSU Press and will always retain this designation. Mr. Jordan is a prominent Columbus businessman, and he is also the author of the novels Negative Space and Fearfully and Wonderfully Made.
Mission
The mission of the CSU Press is to support and enhance the University’s reputation as a national and globally connected institution by publishing judged or peer-reviewed creative and scholarly works from a diverse body of authors. At this point, the press does not exist to publish any work by CSU employees, and in addition to publishing work by writers from across the nation or from other countries, the press can also publish titles about the state and Southern region.
Staff
Administration
CSU Press is overseen by Dr. Annice Yarber-Allen, Dean of the College of Letters & Sciences, and Dr. Judith Livingston, Chair of the English Department.
- Director/Editor
- Dr. Allen Gee
- Associate Editor
- Dr. Carey Scott Wilkerson
Accounting
Royalties and other author considerations are handled by David Mitchell at CSU’s Research and Service Foundation.
Board Members
A list of Board members is forthcoming.
Internships
Internships for those interested in learning about publishing are available for CSU undergraduates in the English Department and for other students. Assignments are usually made in the fall. Please contact Dr. Allen Gee at gee_allen@columbusstate.edu.
Rights and Permissions
Please contact the Director/Editor, Dr. Allen Gee
Partners
- The University of Georgia Press
- The Oxbow Environmental Center
- CSU English Department
- Carson McCullers Center
Useful Links
CSU Press’s first publication is Michelle Herman’s novel Close-Up, which won the Donald L. Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence in 2020. The publication date is March 15, 2022.
Close-Up artfully renders how the lives of a young magician, and his father, a famous novelist, intertwine with the lives of a young poet and the single poet who raised her. Close-Up reveals what drives and complicates and undermines our most important relationships. This is a robust novel about friendship, romance, marriages and the ties between parents, children, and grandchildren. The novel follows five fully rendered characters—Jacob, Martin, Caroline, Jeanie, and Jill—through their rifts and reconciliations, as their whole story brings us through loneliness, longing, missed connections and grievances, and ultimately to a desirable place of understanding.
