About Ohio University Press

Incorporated in 1947 and formally organized in 1964 by Ohio University president Vernon Alden, Ohio University Press is the oldest scholarly publisher in Ohio. Since its founding, the Press (including its trade imprint, Swallow Press) has developed into a leading publisher of books about Africa, Appalachia, Southeast Asia, and the Midwest, as well as on many other topics. From academic monographs to regional guides to internationally acclaimed literary works, its books have established the Press as an essential member of its many communities: scholarly, literary, and geographic.

The Press publishes between forty-five and fifty books a year. Distributed worldwide, its books are regularly covered by prominent national and international news and review media; in countless academic journals; and in a wide variety of literary and cultural outlets.

The Press regularly partners with other scholarly and cultural institutions. In recent years, these have included the State Library of Ohio, the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, the Ohio University Center for International Studies, the Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland museums of art, and the Polish American Historical Association.

Swallow Press

What began as a publishing partnership with the distinguished literary publisher Swallow Press has continued with Ohio University Press’s acquisition in 2008 of Swallow. Under the Swallow Press imprint, the Press continues to publish its esteemed literary list—including reissues of the works of such iconic authors as Anaïs Nin, Janet Lewis, Frank Waters, and Anna Akhmatova—as well as guidebooks, regional interest titles, and general nonfiction.

New Titles

Out of Nowhere
New and Selected Poems
Out of Nowhere is the first comprehensive collection of poetry by Kentucky writer Mary Ann Taylor-Hall, presenting sixty-six new poems and work from two previous letterpress collections.

Isaac Murphy
I Dedicate This Ride
A new collection of persona poems from award-winning poet Frank X Walker that tell the untold story of legendary African American jockey Isaac Burns Murphy (1861–1896).

Ancient Creek
A Folktale
In this new edition of Gurney Norman’s classic tale, the young hero, Jack, wages a revolutionary battle against an evil ruler to free his people, “the folks,” and their lands—the Hill Domain and magical Ancient Creek.

Affrilachia
Poems
This classic, canonical work of African American and Appalachian poetry portrays award-winning poet Frank X Walker’s journey growing up “Affrilachian” in rural Kentucky.

Night Garden
A Novel
Set in rural Kentucky and told from the perspective of seventeen-year-old Marie Massey, this gut-wrenching novel about addiction and family ties offers an unflinching look at the opioid crisis and its devastating effects on a generation of young Americans.