Local history and culture are showcased on a worldwide stage, thanks to LSU Press

LSU has left its global footprint on literature. 

The flagship university has been featured in many books and is the alma mater of notable authors like political consultant James Carville; the first African-American Louisiana State Poet Laureate Pinkie Gordon Lane; and economist Freddie Ray Marshall. 

You may have heard of some of the authors who were LSU Tigers, but did you know LSU is the only university press to publish four Pulitzer Prize-winning books in fiction and poetry?

LSU Press publishes a mix of scholarly and creative books. The on-campus, nonprofit university book publisher was originally founded in 1935 to publish books by faculty. Now, it publishes around 70 books a year for scholars and readers alike. 

“We preserve history,” says LSU Press director Alisa Plant. “We preserve episodes of history that may have otherwise been forgotten.” 

Genres include Southern history, Southern literary studies, Louisiana history and culture, environmental studies, Southern foodways, media studies, landscape architecture, fan studies and poetry.

And those Pulitzers—claimed by Confederacy of Dunces, a 1981 novel by John Kennedy Toole; The Flying Change, a 1986 poetry book by Henry Taylor; Alive Together: New and Selected Poems, a 1997 poetry book by Lisel Mueller; and Late Wife, a book of poetry by Claudia Emerson that won in 2006—have helped LSU build a global brand.

“We have authors and readers around the world,” Plant says. “We are essentially brand ambassadors for the university in a very positive way.” 

Other works the press has published include Jay Ducote’s Louisiana Outdoor Cooking by Jay Ducote with Cynthia LeJeune Nobles; ABCs of LSU, a children’s book about LSU by Linda Colquitt Taylor; Intersectional Tech: Black Users in Digital Gaming by Kishonna Gray; and Breaking Barriers: A View from the Bench by Judge Freddie Pitcher Jr.

Before getting published by LSU Press, books go through a thorough selection process. 

After a book proposal is submitted, editors review and determine if they want to request a manuscript. Once they receive a manuscript, it moves on to being peer reviewed by experts in the field.

If the manuscript makes it past the review, it is sent to its press committee of LSU faculty for approval. If the book is approved at all stages, it gets published.

70

Average number of titles LSU Press adds to its library of newly published books each year.

But LSU Press does more than publish books. It also works closely with authors to market their books at in-person and virtual spaces. The organization livestreams virtual author events on Facebook twice weekly on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 2 p.m. These virtual events allow readers to learn more about its published books, interact with authors and learn about an author’s backstory. 

“We’re branching out into new fields,” Plant says. “We want to publish books for everyone. We want to be the press for Louisianians—and beyond.” lsupress.org

This article was originally published in the November 2022 issue of 225 magazine.