Susquehanna University Press

Susquehanna University Press is a locally run press that focuses on giving back to their community. With internal support, the SU Press highlights debut authors, hoping to culminate an inclusive and diverse environment.

Susquehanna University Press Design

Mission Statement

The Susquehanna University Press is innovative and keeping a hand to the pulse as they are constantly exploring sustainable models of publishing and bookselling. With their ability to provide opportunities of growth to students and the public alike, they serve as both a professional training program and a place to spark critical thought and innovation. The combination of traditional and contemporary methods fuses with their consistent priority of keeping the local and regional community engaged. Through their classes and hands on experience, the SU press wants to empower future writers, editors, designers, and business owners by providing opportunities to expands skills such as marketing, management, and entrepreneurial. Overall, they hope to ignite new conversations about the intersection between art, politics, labor, and business.

History

The Founder: Dr. Frederic Brush

The Susquehanna University Press was founded in 1944 with the financial support of Dr. Frederic Brush. Brush was an author, philanthropist, and retired physician who published three books with the press from 1946 to 1956.

Inconsistencies in Ownership

In 1981, the Press chose to affiliate with Associated University Presses, a publishing company that handled all production, marketing, distribution, legal, and financial duties. This allowed the Press’s focus to broaden to scholarly book-length manuscripts that specialized in humanities and social sciences. Throughout this time the Press focused on academic work written by SU faculty. They used to release a scholarly journal called Susquehanna Studies that was distributed to colleges and libraries across the country. In 2010, the AUP ceased production, forcing the editorial board to go on an indefinite hiatus.

A New Era

Then, in 2022, the Press was relaunched by Dr. Jess Jelsma Masterton, an Assistant Professor of Publishing and Media Entrepreneurship, with a focus on trade and regional publishing. With Masterton’s direction, Susquehanna University undergraduate students became integral players in the Press’s operation. Most recently, in 2024, the Press hired its first full-time, post-graduate position with the help of SU’s Innovation Center and CORE Susquehanna AmeriCorps. Since Masterton's takeover, the press has published one mini book as well as a successful novel.

Structure

Finances

The press is supported by the Sigmund Weis School of Business with additional aid from an endowed account as well as the English and Creative Writing Department.

Director Dr. Jess Jelsma Masterton

Meet the Staff

1. Dr Jess Jelsma Masterton is the director and head editor.
   • Masterton is an assistant professor of publishing and media entrepreneurship at Susquehanna University. Along with being the director of the SU Press, she is the national director of FUSE: Forum for Undergraduate Student Editors. Her education is extensive as she received her BA in anthropology and psychology from Cornell University, an MFA in prose from the University of Alabama, and a PhD in creative writing and literature from the University of Cincinnati. With over nine years of collegiate teaching experience, she enjoys developing the next generation of publishers and editors. She has worked as an editor for independent publications including Ruminate Magazine and the Cincinnati Review. Her short fiction has received multiple awards and nominations as well as been published in journals such as Gettysburg Review, The Normal School, The Southern Review, and Quarterly West.  
2. Ellie Pasquale is an editor. She is an alumnus of Susquehanna University.
3. Maria Eduarda Marton Coutinho is an editorial assistant. She is currently an undergraduate student at Susquehanna University.
4. Haley Seitz is an editorial assistant. She is currently an undergraduate student at Susquehanna University.
5. Fayth Snyder is an editorial assistant. She is currently an undergraduate student at Susquehanna University.

Academic Connection

While it is a business, it also serves as a class called the SU Press course, ENG 370. This class provides hands-on experience and bridges the gap between the creative and business side of the publishing industry. Students have the ability to learn skills such as copy editing, proofreading, cover design, web development, marketing, management, and strategic planning.

Susquehanna University English Professor and Author Dr. Laurence Roth states that the press is more than a business as “It’s also a professionalizing experience that places our publishing & editing students at the forefront of the experimentation and reimagination of the university press for the 21st century.”

The Program

The SU Press specializes in book-length literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. They publish limited-edition, handcrafted mini books as well.  

This image highlights Susquehanna University students working at the Press.

Community is the focus of their world. Their goal is to find work that appeals to their local, regional, and university communities. They have published a minimal amount of work. Historically, they have spent at least a year on each project and aim to create “beautiful, one-of-a-kind books and products.” Their goal of giving lesser-known authors a chance highlights their mission of increasing diversity, equity, inclusion, and transparency within the publishing industry.  

They also have a blog which serves as a space to discuss current dilemmas within the creative writing, publishing, editing, and bookselling realm.

Highlighting Previous Work

Author Patrick Thomas Henry

Of the Throat by Patrick Thomas Henry

Cover art for Practice for Becoming a Ghost by Patrick Thomas Henry

A limited edition handcrafted mini book that tells the story of a third-grade teacher who is haunted by a previous relationship.

Of the Throat was published on February 7, 2024. It is currently being sold for $12.00 and is 57 pages long. This short story is in Henry's latest novel Practice for Becoming a Ghost.

Practice for Becoming a Ghost by Patrick Thomas Henry

Practice for Becoming a Ghost is a compilation of 16 stories. The book was published on August 1, 2024, and is currently being sold for $16.00. You can buy both a physical and online copy. The online copy is being sold for $9.99. The 244-page book received nothing but praise. Below is a list of awards and positive recognition Henry has received:

1. Finalist for the 2025 High Plains International Book Award
2. Longlisted for the 2024 Story Prize
3. Winner of the 2022 Northeast Modern Language Association Creative Writing Book Award
4. Semi-finalist in the 2023 Iron Horse Literary Review First Book Prize
5. One of Electric Lit’s “15 Small Press Books You Should Be Reading this Fall”
6. Reviewed by Sundress Reads:
   • In her review of Practice for Becoming a Ghost, Tennessee based writer Natalie Gardner writes “Henry is an alchemist mixing Murakami, Kafka, Freud, and Nietzsche with extreme poise. The result is a dynamic and multivocal explosion of sensation, a biting jouissance that melts into a lingering awe.”

Cover art for Poets at Play: An Anthology of Modernist Drama by Sarah Bay-Cheng and Barbara Cole

Poets at Play: An Anthology of Modernist Drama by Sarah Bay-Cheng and Barbara Cole

Published on September 1, 2010, this book highlights the dramatic and theatrical legacy of American modernist poets. This book was published right before the press was temporarily shut down. The book is only available in hard cover.

Audience

Outside of the physical book making, the SU Press is always doing something. Whether that be highlighting guest speakers, working with alumni, or having fun events, they are extremely active within their community.

Checking out their Instagram (@susqupress) can instantly throw one into their world. On October 4, they announced the release of their next mini book. Queen of Bats by Rachel Reeher tells four short stories and will be published in the spring. Rachel is an editor and writer from the Carolinas and has been published in multiple magazines. Located in Central Pennsylvania, her collaboration with the SU Press is on brand as it highlights their commitment to supporting their community members.

SU Press recently participated and had a table in the Easton Book Festival, which took place from October 13 to 19 in Downtown Easton, PA. Outside of books, the press creates and sell student-made linocuts for $10.00. They also sell t-shirts, crochet items, and notebooks.

Overall, their activity on social media allows their message to be spread worldwide. The beauty of social media connects people. This is just one step in the strong community they build.

Overall Impact and Identity

Susquehanna University Press, small as it is, is having a big impact, locally and regionally. The visuals and branding are consistent and simple. It allows the physical text to speak for itself. It is minimal yet interesting and is appealing to the eye. The mood is relaxed, not too busy. This represents the kind, mellow vibe of the press.

The SU press is giving a stage to voices small and large. The opportunity that educated writers and people to collaborate with students fosters an inclusive and diverse environment. Even though the leadership of this press is young, it is projected to positively benefit both the Susquehanna university community and communities everywhere. It is grounding as it redefines what it means to be a publisher-- to spread stories and highlight voices. It is a voice of the people, run by the people. Like it's simple branding, it is humble yet hungry for more.