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Poetics

Christine

Everything Old Is New Again

About two years ago, a few members of our writers group began talking about chapbooks they were publishing. At first I just nodded my head and said how nice for you - not registering that they were talking about something that I should be finding out about. This summer, I began checking out chapbooks in earnest. I bought a few at some of the conferences I attended, I browsed the Web for information, and got a few surprises.

To start with, chapbooks are not new, nor were they originally poetic volumes. They began in the eighteenth century as small, cheap booklets mainly for the poorer classes and children who could not afford good leather bound books. Also favored by travelers who could simply tuck them into their valises because of their size, the penny books usually were twenty to forty pages and often included crudely printed drawings. Sold by traveling hawkers, or chapmen, they became known as "ChapBooks." Chapbooks kept alive the traditional fairy tales, folklore, and nursery rhymes during this period, as most publishers were interested in more serious works. As the stories appealed to most younger readers, and the texts suited small hands and budgets, they were the beginning of modern children s literature.

For a while, as dime novels and paperbacks entered the scene, chapbooks fell out of fashion and disappeared. Now they are enjoying a revival, mostly in the world of poetry. They usually sell for $5 to $10, and have very simple illustrations or none at all. They lend themselves well to poetry because they can be glanced at a few minutes at a time, whenever the mood strikes. Readers are again finding that the small volumes are convenient to carry, and they also make excellent gifts. I have a couple on the table in my guest room for visitors to browse through as they relax at bedtime.

Most publishers guidelines on today s chapbooks suggest that they contain 20 to 30 poems, preferably no longer than a single page, and be centered on a theme. The few that I bought ranged from religion to travel. I found one author who published twelve books - one for each month of the year and, you guessed it, a poem for each day. When I asked her about it, she said it began as an exercise in discipline. Her goal was to write at least one poem a day. Then, like Topsy, the project grew.

There are always exceptions to the above guidelines. Some have fewer poems, some are on various subjects, so it is still a matter of preference. In my research on the Web, I discovered a few publishers that have devoted their chapbooks to two or three short stories instead of poetry, so you see it is true - the more things change, the more they stay the same.

If you are a prolific poet or short story writer, you might want to consider doing a chapbook. You may wish to published your own, but the Internet lists several houses that are interested. There are also contests galore for published or unpublished works. Some of the prizes include publication. Just get your search engine fired up and type in chapbooks. You will be amazed at all the information you will get. Good Luck!