Independent Publisher Publishes Urban Anthologies By Black Female Artists

Online, August 9, 2010 (Newswire.com) - "As a member of this demographic (urban Black women) I feel like we don't have enough of a relational voice. In the media we don't have a lot of women who share our stories, who we can look up to because they walked in our shoes," says Paula Montgomery, founder of VenusHouse Publishers, an independent publisher of anthologies written by African American female poets and writers.

Ms. Montgomery was compelled to create a product for this demographic by this demographic for three reasons: to empower, encourage, and entertain women of like ethnicity, background, and point-of-view.

She thought the best way for her to do this was through poetry and short stories like the ones she read as a teen from her favorite Black women poets/writers like Maya Angelou, Alexis DeVeaux, and Georgia Douglas Johnson. "I remember reading books like 'Black-Eyed Susans and Midnight Birds' (edited by Mary Helen Washington) and just feeling like I'd entered Heaven," Montgomery muses, "These women were honest, almost brutally so sometimes, and it was refreshing and, in that, beautiful. They knew how to be real and entertain all at once; I was enthralled."

As a result, VenusHouse Publishers is looking for artists who can produce anthologies that are drenched in urban voice, filtered through the eyes of Black women, and spun with poetic rhythm in mind. The stories and poems are meant to connect with VenusHouse Publisher's target audience (urban Black women).

"I want our audience to read the books and develop a relational connection with its content, then feel a part of something greater and bigger than themselves and just their group of girlfriends," says Montgomery of one of their main goals: to empower.

The small publishing house wants to make their anthologies a source of encouragement for young Black women especially. Montgomery hopes that by the contributing artists being more amateur, less notorious, women will be more apt to respond to the literature. The brand-new business looks forward to setting up live chats between the contributing artists and their readers after the release of each anthology. VHP will encourage its artists to allow the publisher to post their Facebook and Twitter page links as well as their email addresses on the "Artist Profiles" section of their website to emphasize the humanity of the artists and their united front on the publisher's mission.

And the doors of VenusHouse are not only open to writers and poets; they also welcome Black female photographers and illustrators for their books' artwork.

VenusHouse Publishers expects its first anthology released and ready for purchase (available in audio, paperback, and hardcover formats) by October 15th, 2010. They are now open for submissions.