A Home for Readers & WritersVirginia and John Noland on the porch of the LSU Press building

Halfway down West Lakeshore Drive, in an Acadian-style building facing the lakes, stands LSU Press, home to countless award-winning books. The nonprofit publisher furthers LSU’s mission of scholarly inquiry by selecting titles based on scholarly, intellectual and creative merit. This mission-driven approach necessitates partnerships with individu-als, foundations and companies that not only recognize the value of the Press’ mission and work, but are also willing to support the Press through giving. Recently, a group of LSU Press readers recognized the opportunity for private philanthropy as a way to support the state’s premier academic publisher and contributed funds to establish the infrastructure for a development program. The new program focuses on building relationships with people and organizations who want to contribute to LSU’s academic prominence by attracting outstanding authors and publishing their equally outstanding books. Among those who participated in the joint gift to the Press were LSU alumni John and Virginia Noland. The lifelong Baton Rouge residents were inspired by their love of reading, respect for the Press, and loyalty to LSU. The Press’ list of titles “aren’t only interesting,” John declares, “but are essential to what the university does.”

LSU Press is one of the oldest and largest university presses in the South, having published significant works of scholarship and preserved Louisiana’s history and culture since 1935. It is the winner of four Pulitzer Prizes, including one for John Kennedy Toole’s “A Confederacy of Dunces.” Over half of the Press’ books remain in print around the world, and the Press hopes to make available many of its out-of-print titles through ebooks. “Academic books fuel academic exploration,” says LSU College of Art & Design Associate Professor Lake Douglas, whose “Public Spaces, Private Gardens” was recently pub-lished by the Press. Publications must undergo rigorous assessment by outside scholars and receive the favorable recommendation of the University Press Committee, a group of distinguished faculty. Douglas’ new book, a history of designed landscapes in New Orleans, was published with assistance of private funds provided by three foundations. “I knew I wanted to have a lot of images,” Douglas says of his book. “All of my images are archival, and many haven’t been published before ... [The grants] allowed me to use most of the images I wanted to use. The book’s design and liberal

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Writer Kelly Cherry shares why LSU Press is meaningful to her: “First, I admire a wide majority of their poetry books and authors; I'm honored to be on their list. Second, the outside readers and the editors make smart, useful comments and suggestions; they make these comments based on the book in hand, not on what they would do if it were their book. Third, I admire the production values of the Press. Fourth, my relationship with LSU Press is the most continuous and sustaining relationship I have ever had with a publisher. Although I've published elsewhere, it's because of LSU Press that I have been able to live my life as a writer.”

To read about Cherry’s support of LSU Press, please see page 29.

use of color made a big difference.” Virginia, who is a member of the Press’ Advisory Group, recognizes the importance of educating the community about the Press’ nonprofit status; book sales alone do not generate enough revenue for the Press to fulfill its mission. Because the Press does not have an established alumni base to engage, it relies instead on support from individuals like the Nolands, as well as companies and foundations, to maintain its reputation for publishing excellence. “Although some of the books we publish do not generate huge profits, they all make important contributions to our knowledge,” explains Portia Levasseur, director of develop-ment. “Private support for the Press allows us to publish these important works, many of which resonate particularly with the LSU community.” John and Virginia have enjoyed many LSU Press titles, naming “A Confederacy of Dunces” and Mary Ann Sternberg’s

“Winding through Time: The Forgotten History and Present-Day Peril of Bayou Manchac” as their favorites, respectively. John recalls, “I can remember being on vacation, hearing my father roaring with laughter at ‘A Confederacy of Dunces.’” Virginia, too, developed an appreciation for reading at a young age. She recalls trips with her parents to a downtown bookstore where she savored being allowed to choose any books she wanted. “Louisiana has a distinct culture,” she says, gesturing toward the LSU Press’ library of published works as she adds, “Look around and the culture of Louisiana is represented.” Each element of LSU Press, from its wide front porch that seems the perfect spot to curl up with a book to the thickly stacked bookshelves within that chronicle its rich history, reflects its ongoing commitment to publishing great books of which all who care about LSU can be proud. www.lsupress.org

In 2010, “The Southern Review” and LSU Press merged, uniting two renowned literary organizations in an effort to maximize resources. “The Southern Review” publishes fiction, poetry, critical essays, interviews, book reviews, and excerpts from novels in progress, with emphasis on contemporary literature in the U.S. and abroad.

(left) Lake Douglas’ “Public Spaces, Private Gardens” (right) Lori Baker’s “Crash and Tell,” a newly published collection of short stories, was recently reviewed by Publisher’s Weekly.

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