Newsmaker Q&A: For retro publisher, what’s old is new again

Todd Simmons is publisher, editor and founder of Wolverine Farm Publishing Co. and Bookstore, a small publishing outfit housed in the Bean Cycle coffee shop in downtown Fort Collins. With the help of a small staff and a collective of writers, artists, knitters, cyclists and avid makers, WFP publishes a journal, a quarterly newspaper and a cycling almanac. It also hosts community events, encourages the mapping of apple trees and keeps tabs on most things farm- or arts-related.

WFP recently announced an expansion project, complete with a new building, a letterpress print shop, retail space for local and handmade goods, revolving bicycle exhibits, community rooms for literary/art/craft workshops and a place to host public and private events.

The Business Report caught up with Simmons to find out why all the hope for an antiquated business and why the community can’t help but help.

Question: In a time of trouble for the publishing industry, you’re choosing to expand. Why such optimism?

Answer: We’ve never really fit into the traditional publishing industry all that well, although we are not immune to the changes underfoot. The idea for this expansion has been tossed around for the last five to six years, and we felt the timing was perfect to make a bold move. After a decade of publishing in Fort Collins, we felt we had the broad community support to make this idea reality.

Q: You mention the new space will house the publishing company, vintage bicycles and a letterpress, among other things that hearken back to a former time. Why is preserving and promoting these things important to you?

A: They’re important because they all work really well! It’s amazing how carefully thought out and constructed these machines were, and they really are beautiful to look at. The computer I’m typing on now is beautiful too, but our sensibilities and aesthetic always line up better with the old stuff. With our mission of “mindfully engaging humans with the world,” we want people out in the world riding bicycles, the sun and wind in their faces; we want people to pick up a chapbook that we’ve made by hand, and feel the impressions on the paper; we want to showcase the local makers and have their beautiful and useful creations inspire people to think about the things they buy and use in their lives.

Q: The WFP materials and website seem to stress the idea of community. What is community to you, and why choose to include that as an integral piece of your mission?

A: My community seems to be constantly changing, so I don’t spend much time trying to define it. Community can be as small as a handful of people or as large as the entire world’s population. One of the most important aspects of community is very simple: Show up, and keep showing up. You won’t be able to attend everything, especially in a hyperactive college town, but showing up to the town hall meetings, planning sessions, indie films and author readings, even dance parties – these things help bind people together, and you get to know people, way better than you ever could online. It is true that the Internet and social media have been very important in the shaping of communities, but nothing can compare to face-to-face interactions.

Q: What does the phrase “literature with teeth” mean, and how do your publications reflect that?

A: We want our literature to grab hold of you and not let go. We like our stories, essays, poems and interviews to have a bit of an edge, a certain quality that “cuts.”

Q: We know what your plans are if the fundraising campaign for the expansion is a success, but what are your plans if it’s not?

A. We have some plans in the works for additional fundraisers and are looking into “localvesting” options. We’re still designing the expansion/renovations, and we’re prepared to scale back if necessary. Our new location will have different phases, as we’d like to bring more food and farmers into the mix, but that might be a few years down the road. We’re really looking at this as a long-term project, and a long-term investment into the culture of Fort Collins.

Q: Why don’t you get a real job?

A: The beautiful thing about literature is that you can always explore new terrain, and with our eventing and outreach, we get to meet fascinating and curious people, and constantly have our imaginations challenged, drained and filled up again. Sometimes it is difficult to think of what I do as a job, because it has always felt more like an extension of my life.

– Maggie Shafer

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