Reviving Forgotten Books for a New Generation of Lit Lovers

SHOW DESCRITION:  

Sometimes the passions we pursue early in life stay with us for years, but do not really emerge much later in life—and often in unexpected ways. Such is the case with Lisa Cooper and Bremond MacDougall, who met on the first day of seventh grade and discovered their shared love for books. Decades later, the two newish 50-year-olds, contemplating their next chapter in life, wondered, “Why not start our own publishing company?” And they did just that. In today’s episode, Lisa and Bremond will describe how they founded Quite Literally Books, a small heritage press dedicated to reprinting forgotten books by American women authors, which launched this month with its first three titles. At a time when books are often dominated by the digital landscape, the two publishers will share their passion for print and describe how they started their company and decided to focus on new editions of timeless books that still ought to be in print. Bremond and Lisa will talk about how they chose their first titles (Plum Bun, The Home-Maker, The Pink House).  And they’ll expand on the state of the today’s literary canon: Who is included? Who gets to decide?  Their vision for our literary future is a place where readers can access inclusive stories and build a community to share them with friends—because a good book from yesterday is a great place to start a conversation today.

GUEST DESCRIPTIONS:  

Lisa Cooper attended Amherst College, majoring in English and Asian Studies, and the University of Texas School of Law at Austin. She has been a practicing attorney specializing in immigration law in the San Francisco Bay Area since 2008. Lisa also had a brief stint as communications director, reimagining the design, purpose, and content of print magazines for an independent school. This experience reaffirmed for her the importance of paper and print in a world of digital experiences and sparked her interest in publishing. A lifelong reader and book lover, she has as many books as her bookshelves will allow (well, maybe a few more) and has always dreamed of having her own bookstore. Born in Japan, raised in Texas, and a longtime resident of the San Francisco Bay area, she now lives in New York City.

Bremond MacDougall is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a BA in Spanish. While raising her three children between Austin and New York City, she amassed a collection of many thousands of books that make up what she calls a “readers’ library” (as opposed to a collector’s library). Rather than first editions, it contains dog-eared favorites, collections from both of her grandmothers complete with personal notes, and books she has yet to read. She and her husband helped to establish Eleanor Hall at St. Andrew’s School in Austin, a kindergarten building named after her late mother who was a champion of joyful learning. A board member of the Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York, a nonprofit that aims to advance well-being, equity, and justice for all of New York’s children, she lives in New York City.

Contact: writeus@quiteliterallybooks.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bremond-macdougall-a0bbb2267/

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Website: https://quiteliterallybooks.com/