Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Van Prooyen.
Hi Laura, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
As a poet, publisher, and educator, I have many irons in the fire at once, but they are all connected.
I started Next Page Press, a small, independent poetry press during the pandemic. Being a publisher was never a big dream I had, but the idea sprung from my own challenges as a poet. The publisher of my first book closed. It took years to find a publisher for my second book, and despite the fact that it did well, by the time I had my third book of poems ready, the editor I worked with was gone.
The feeling that I was starting over, again and again, was disheartening. I was frustrated, but I guess I was also curious. I wondered if I could start a press. I honestly didn’t have a clue. Some friends urged me on, I gathered ideas from other friends who had started presses, and I decided to give it a try. I wanted to create a home for poets writing great work, but who might be having trouble placing their second or third books. I saw a need, and I wanted to help address that.
In October 2026, Next Page Press will celebrate it’s 5th Anniversary with the release of its 10th book!
As I continue my work with the press, I am buoyed by the community that is building around it. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the mutual support I feel from the poets I publish is amazing. I’m enjoying how the press is evolving into a collaborative space, where the authors I publish are invited to nominate potential future titles.
Publishing is just one thing I do, but it seems to be one that people like to hear about.
Because I’ve been writing and teaching writing for a long time, I’ve had a wide range of experience that has grown, one little seed at a time, around poetry. All of my work is interconnected. There is no way to separate being a poet from the other things I do.
Also ingrained in my work (and my life!) is the deep belief that art heals. For three years I facilitated writing in an intensive outpatient PTSD clinic at Brooke Army Medical Center, and that experience changed my life. I saw the power of poetry, community, and communication.
Now, I work with the non-profit MissionBelonging.org. I facilitate a free, weekly writing workshop for Healthcare Workers and people in the caring professions. I also designed and teach a course at Trinity University called Poetry as Medicine: How Reading and Writing Can Facilitate Healing.
See? Each thing leads to another interconnected thing.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
One of the biggest struggles with starting a press was knowing my limits. It took me a year to gather information and figure out how I wanted to model the press before the first title was published in 2021.
I also was delusional, thinking I was going to learn how to typeset too. When I realized that was a big mistake, I found a freelance typesetter, Amber Morena, who has designed every book.
It wasn’t long before I couldn’t keep up with the social media, and gratefully Kayla Torres said yes.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a writer first, publisher second. I am proud of and grateful for the longevity of my creative life–it can be a delicate balance.
I’m excited to share that I have a brand new chapbook:
*Sorry, We No Longer Offer Bereavement Fares* (FlowerSong Press)
https://www.flowersongpress.com/books/p/sorry-we-no-longer-offer-bereavement-fares-by-laura-van-prooyen-chapbook
I also published three full-length books of poems:
Frances of the Wider Field (Lily Poetry Review Books)
Our House Was on Fire (Ashland Poetry Press)
Inkblot and Altar (Pecan Gove Press)
And co-authored one curriculum book:
Text Structures from Poetry (Corwin Press)
https://www.corwin.com/books/text-structures-from-poetry-270172?srsltid=AfmBOorlEHIBo4eTc6roRslCtTDRLdmYY0myF1IGU7hhDMyx4i6r4gqQ
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
My most solid supporter is my husband, Tim Clyne, whose partnership in life has made so much possible.
My friends, fellow writers, coffee drinkers, NIA dancers, and so many more have offered support, opened the doors to jobs/gigs, purchased books, and helped me keep a sense of humor–too many to name!
Cathlin Noonan helped me keep Next Page Press going during a critical time when I could have given up on it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lauravanprooyen.com/ | www.nextpage-press.com | https://missionbelonging.org/programs/poeticrecord/
- Instagram: @nextpagepress
Image Credits
Next Page Press Group Photo: Alexandra van de Kamp (author), Sheila Black (author), Laura Van Prooyen (founder), Kayla Torres (social media manager), and Amie Charney (friend of the press).
