New Blog Post Series: New Hampshire's Sponsors of Poetry

This post introduces the first in an ongoing series at this blog about the Granite State's important sponsors of literacy. A sponsor of literacy (Deborah Brandt's term) is someone--an individual, donor, business, volunteer, or organization--who gives time, support, or expertise to assist other people's writing. Sponsors of literacy essentially make possible, usually behind the scenes, writers' success. They're the under-sung heroes of poetry production.

Hobblebush Books, based in Concord, NH, has been in operation for twenty-seven years and has published over fifty titles, thirteen of which as part of the Granite State Poetry Series. Although the press curates a range of genre, including nonfiction, fiction, and memoir mostly from New England-based authors, poetry and especially New Hampshire poetry, enjoys a remarkably high showing with this publisher.

The press has been a major supporter of poets in the state. As owner Kirsty Walker explains, “There’s just so much talent in our neck of the woods.”

Hobblebush Books has published selected poems, translations, poetry anthologies, and poetry handbooks, in addition to single-author poetry collections. Hobblebush has sponsored the work of several state poet laureates as well as the Penny Poet of Portsmouth. The many accolades this publisher’s authors have received include a Ruth Lilly Fellowship from Poetry, the Modern Language Association and the 2011 New Hampshire Reader’s Choice in Poetry, and selection for the Best American Poetry Series.

The press is named after a prolific wildflower in New Hampshire, a plant called “hobblebush” in England because its roots interrupted the movement of walkers and horses. Kirsty says Sid saw a parallel in the books he wanted to produce since the wildflower is like “good literature in the way that it slows down, trips up, the reader,” asking them to spend more time, be mindful and aware.

Both the press founder, Sid Hall, and his successor, Kirsty Walker, carry extensive roots in New Hampshire. With the exception of a hiatus out West, Sid Hall has spent his entire life in New Hampshire. Book publication was a longtime ambition for Sid Hall.

Kirsty Walker grew up in New Hampshire, in Hopkinton, and she has resided in the Granite State her entire life. As Kirsty puts it, she “loves everything about New Hampshire, even the weather.” Hobblebush offices were originally located in Brookline at the edge of the woods, attracting a notable amount of wildlife, such as the moose that demolished the press’ porch door.

Wildlife seems to follow their poets around like a fan club. When Hobblebush sponsored an outdoor poetry reading at Greeley Park in Nashua to celebrate the Granite State Poetry Series, an impressive hawk practically flew onto the stage just as Henry Walters, a bird expert and falconer and whose poetry book with the press is full of birds, began to read.

After college, Kirsty worked as the press’ marketing director and in 2015 assumed responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the press, upon Sid’s retirement, with the help of interns and freelancers. She became owner of Hobblebush Books in January 2019. Sid still consults for the press and is co-editor of the Granite State Poetry Series with Rodger Martin.

The initial concept for the Granite State Poetry Series came when Sid realized it would be more expeditious to start a poetry book series than a literary journal, his original intention. Because New Hampshire is well known for poetry, Sid “knew that he would have plenty of material, and he felt that Hobblebush was in a perfect position to help these poets.”

In a typical year, the press receives approximately twenty poetry queries, ten manuscripts of which qualify for the Granite State Poetry Series, with one or two resulting in book publication.

The founders and publishers are themselves active poets. Sid is the author of three books of poetry, and Kirsty is collecting poems toward a future book manuscript.

It’s practically a truism that writers want to publish books since publication validates a writer’s efforts. It’s the writer’s name that appears most prominently on the cover, and the writer’s photo that appears on the book jacket. Yet without the sponsorship of the publisher and many other people, that book wouldn’t exist.

As Kirsty says, “the author needs the publisher, printer, reviewers, blurbers, librarians, booksellers, event coordinators, award judges—and of course—readers.” Hobblebush Books has been integral to the writing success of many poets of the Granite State.

More information about Hobblebush Books can be found at www.hobblebush.com