An Interview with Danielle Chapman

anielle Chapman shares my frustration that there is no central hub for the publishing industry here in Chicago, and she’s working to change that. She works as the Director of Publishing Industry Programs at the Department of Cultural Affairs for the Chicago Office of Tourism, and she’s currently involved with some interesting projects at the Chicago Publisher’s Gallery. I was lucky enough to get to ask her about what she does to promote the publishing industry, why she loves literature, and what Publishing Industry Programs will be working on next.

Julie: How long have you been Director of Publishing Industry Programs at the Department of Cultural Affairs for the Chicago Office of Tourism, and what does your job entail?

Danielle: I’ve been at the Dept. of Cultural Affairs since December of last year. My job is to create–and carry out–programs that support and promote publishing in Chicago.

Julie: Does the Department of Cultural Affairs do anything specific, like holding conferences, promotion, or advertising, to promote the publishing industry in the city of Chicago to the rest of the world?

Danielle: Yes! The biggest project that we’ve done so far is create the Chicago Publishers Gallery, which is at the back of the Randolph Cafe on the first floor of the Cultural Center. The gallery contains books from about 70 Chicago-area book publishers and 75 periodical publishers, as well as many books by Chicago authors. By devoting an actual physical space to Chicago’s publishing industry, we hope to give visitors who come through the Cultural Center (in 2008 we had about 250,000 visitors, from all over the world) a sense of just how active Chicago’s publishing and literary community is. The gallery has been designed to be comfortable so that visitors can sit down and read for awhile. Though books can’t be taken out of the area, we have a website, www.chicagopublishersgallery.com, where people can learn more about the city’s publishers and link to their websites in order to purchase books.

The Gallery has been a big hit and, because we’ve gotten such a positive response, we’ll be expanding into the Randolph Cafe this spring. There will be several more reading nooks, and the entire space will have a new look that celebrates books and publishing culture.

Julie: Are there any events sponsored by your department, and if there are, what is the best way for the public to access them?

Danielle: The Publishers Gallery is our main program geared toward the public. However, we’re now planning events for the publishing industry, which will be open to publishers, writers, editors, bloggers, literary programmers, students, and anyone who wants to go into this field. The first event will be a reception in late April at Maxim’s, a meeting and reception space operated by DCA, where we’ll host a brief Q & A session with some of Chicago’s publishing personalities; the main point will be to provide an occasion for publishing and literary people to connect with each other. In the future, we’ll also be holding “industry forums,” for Chicago’s publishers and writers, which will address the many changes that are taking place in the publishing world, with the aim of drawing Chicago publishers into the national discussion.

Julie: Did you attend the AWP conference that was recently held in Chicago, and if so, what were your thoughts on the event?

Danielle: I did, and my first thought was: Whoa, this is huge. There were lots of panels that looked interesting, and lots of people I wanted to see, but it just seemed impossible to do one tenth of what was on my itinerary. AWP is geared to the creative writing world, and it serves the needs of that world very well, but I wish that there were a way to get those 8000 writers, publishers, editors, et. al., out of the hotel (and its bar!) and into the city to explore some of Chicago’s literary riches.

Julie: What made you pursue the position you currently hold? What about literature draws you in as a passion?

Danielle: This particular job arose rather serendipitously, as I think things often do when Lois Weisberg is involved. I had an interview with Lois and, when I told her my background, she said “We’ve been looking for someone to help the publishers. You should do that!” It seemed like a unique challenge, so I was really excited to accept. Before coming here, I was an editor at Poetry. In my other life, I write poems as well as essays and criticism, so my passion for literature–and publishing as a way to get it into readers’ hands–is pretty personal. I guess that what draws me to literature is how explicitly it seeks to make meaning of our experiences and to put them into a context that’s bigger than ourselves. When I see people, of all types and backgrounds, poring over the books in the publishers gallery, I find it very moving. I share that hunger for meaningful, beautiful writing, and I’m glad that I have a chance to help others discover books that will satisfy that.

Julie: Have you had any experiences since you became Director of Publishing Industry Programs that were funny/poignant/inspiring that you might like to share with our readers?

Danielle: Well, I think the best moment so far was the opening event for the Publishers Gallery. We had about 250 people there from the publishing and literary community. So many of our publishers are totally independent; they work so hard to survive, and they manage to put out great books while they’re at it, but I think they tend to believe they’re the only ones out there. At the event, someone came up to me and said, with total glee on her face, “who ARE all these people?” It felt very jubilant, with everyone eating and drinking and meeting their brethren. Then suddenly the fire alarm went off, and we all had to evacuate. It’s almost as if someone was trying to say: “You can’t celebrate publishing! Publishing’s over.” But it was a false alarm. Everyone came back, and the event went on!

Julie: Anything else that you think is important about your position or the Department of Cultural Affairs that we didn’t already cover?

Danielle: We’re about to embark on another major project: an online resource for publishers, writers, and others interested in literary pursuits. Currently, there’s no central place to get information about what’s happening in Chicago’s publishing and literary life. This resource will provide all sorts of information that will make it easier for people to publish books, magazines, and blogs; to put on readings and other literary events; to find out about what’s going on in the city; and to connect with other people who are involved in similar pursuits.

Julie: Thanks so much for your time in answering these questions!

Danielle: Thanks for asking me, and thanks for creating Publish Chicago!