Reference West (Firm)

Instelling

Reference West (Firm)

1990-

Reference West publishing was founded by Charles Lillard, Rhonda Bachelor and Robin Skelton in December 1990. It was a privately owned company. It was the publishing house of The Hawthorne Society and the Hawthorne Series chapbooks were one publication of Reference West. The Chapbooks were actually begun in October 1990 and were accompanied by monthly readings in Hawthorne Bookshop. The Hawthorne Society managed the readings. In addition Ref. West produced checklists of Robin Skelton, Douglas Fetherling and George Woodcock and Luella Kerr. They produced approximately 75 pamphlets and were carried on by Rhonda Lillard after Charles died in 1996. Reference West was preceded by "Fortnightly Preview" (1987- 1989) which presented short reviews of new Canadian books. It was paid for by Ivy's bookstore. Simultaneously B.C. Profiles, essays about and checklists of publications by B.C. writers. Originally they were typeset by George Payerle, who also typeset the early chapbooks, with Chris Petter designing the first 20 chapbooks. Profiles included: Christie Harris, Paul St. Pierre, Peter C. Newman, Robert Harlow, Jack Hodgins, Mike Doyle, Marilyn Bowering, Robert D. Turner, and George Woodcock. In 1993 they produced an "A perception of Poets" for the Community Arts Council including the works of six artists and six poets. "Poetry Newsletter" was produced between 1992 -1993. It was succeeded by "Reference West: A Monthly Review of Books for B.C. Readers", (Spy. 1994 - ) which reviewed B.C. writing and B.C. books, magazines pamphlets and broadsides. In 1994 Reference West started two new series on witchcraft and the supernatural.

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