What began as a book arts special interest group, Plork Press has been transformed into a full-fledged printing press with the help of Managing Editor Nat Raum and Editor-in-Chief Breasia Boyd. Plork Press was revived as a book arts group by Amy Carpenter after the Covid-19 pandemic, when many clubs dissolved once they were no longer allowed to gather on campus. Raum was approached by former president of Plork Press, Carpenter to join, after their work as Managing Editor for Welter’s print journal in Fall 2021. In addition to that experience, Raum is the Editor-in-Chief of Fifth Wheel Press. Boyd previously held positions as assistant editor of Passager Books and guest Editor-in-Chief for Mason Jar Press. Raum and Boyd’s combined experience in the publishing industry made them the perfect candidates to help push Plork Press to its full potential.
Plork Press publishes a print journal once a year, usually in Spring. Last year’s Plorkology 2023 was their first issue. When asked about the theme of the journal, Raum shared that “We really just want it to be an exploration of what we’re all about and since Plork is Play and Work, we just feel that that’s an appropriate theme for the journal […] we got some great stuff last year on that theme so that’s why we decided to bring it back again because it kind of creates a legacy for us. We’re the Plork People.”
In addition to the journal, this year Plork Press will publish one chapbook. When submissions open, they will be seeking manuscripts from all three genres (fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry) with a specific page limit. Then from those submissions, members of the club will select one for publication and work with the author to get it printed for distribution.
Another important aspect of Plork Press are the events they hold once a semester on campus. The fall semester event occurred on Saturday, November 4th this year. Alumni of University of Baltimore’s Creative Writing and Publishing Arts MFA program, Lenette Parlow-Myrick & Jenny O’Grady brought their book arts exhibit, Dos-à-Dos, which was inspired by the Plork concept combining work and play, as well as their workshop on wheels to the UBalt campus. During the event, participants were encouraged to create a unique pamphlet or smaller book based on three prompts. See photos of the event below.
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Plork Press aims to bring a shared love of publishing arts and book events to the UBalt community, and specifically MFA students in the Creative Writing and Publishing Arts program. Raum shared that this is important for MFA students so they can get the experience they need for their future careers. Because of this, seniors or students who have been heavily involved in Plork Press are the first picks for roles like genre editors. I was honored with the role of poetry editor this year.
If you’re a student at University of Baltimore interested in becoming a member of Plork Press, they are always looking for more readers and passionate individuals to join the team. Simply log on to your MyUB portal and click the link under BEEINVOLVED and under “Groups” select to join Plork Press to be added to the mailing list. You can also follow Plork Press on Facebook, Instagram, and X (Twitter) @PlorkPress.