I have been following with interest the recent rise of Charlotte Lit Press, which is the new publishing operation associated with Charlotte Lit. Kathie Collins and Paul Reali, the co-founders of Charlotte Lit, are also the people behind the creation of Charlotte Lit Press. Kathie is the Editor-in-Chief, and Paul is the Managing Editor. Kathie and Paul contacted me this past week and let me know that they are about to publish a new poetry collection by AE Hines. Intrigued, I asked them for more information about this forthcoming release. Here is what they sent to me:
We’re very excited to tell you about the latest news from Charlotte Lit Press – our publishing imprint. Charlotte poet AE Hines, author of the acclaimed debut Any Dumb Animal, will release his second collection, Adam in the Garden, with Charlotte Lit Press, March 2024.
Here’s what the great Dorianne Laux said about the collection:
With Adam in the Garden, AE Hines dares to imagine a new Eden, as his speaker finds himself “middle-aged and queer,” in poems that weave sound and image into tightly crafted narratives. Whether confronting betrayal and loss, sex and desire, or even environmental collapse, threads of hope and gratitude run throughout these verses, as does the speaker’s anxiety about the fragility of what binds.
“Perhaps you too have done this,” he asks, “Found yourself awake on the edge // of so much happiness you fear fate / might intervene?” In plain-spoken language, Hines transforms simple, everyday acts into tender and moving lyrics, offering surprising journeys and closing lines that continue to inspire. We find a poet willing to risk sentimentality without collapsing into sentiment. A seeker willing to risk blasphemy in his personal search for truth.
We’re grateful for the trust Hines is putting in Charlotte Lit Press. The cover reveal is today, and we’re happy to give Storied Charlotte readers the first look! Pre-sales direct from Charlotte Lit Press (open now at charlottelit.org/press) will be signed by the author. And: thanks to a group of the author’s friends, all pre-sales will result in a dollar-for-dollar donation match to Charlotte’s Time Out Youth.
A good question is: how did we get here, into publishing full-length poetry collections? Here’s a brief history. We launched the imprint “Charlotte Lit Press” in 2022 to publish Litmosphere: Journal of Charlotte Lit, which includes the top entries from our Lit/South Awards. (We’ll publish our third issue next May.) Early this year, the Press expanded into poetry chapbooks; we have now released six, with more in the works.
The turning point was when the amazing poet and Lit faculty member Lola Haskins brought us her 14th collection, Homelight. We jumped at the chance to publish an established, nationally known and lauded poet. Being able to work with Hines is a natural progression. We’re not accepting open submissions yet—we’re going to focus on the launch of Adam in the Garden—but we’re thinking hard about what’s next for Charlotte Lit Press.
I thank Kathie and Paul for sharing this information about Charlotte Lit Press and their planned launch of Adam in the Garden. I am also pleased to play a role in the reveal of the book’s stunning cover. As I see it, we are all fortunate that Charlotte Lit Press has set up shop right here in Storied Charlotte.