Michael Simms (publisher)
Michael Simms is an American poet and literary publisher. His most recent book is Black Stone (Monkey Sea Editions, 2009). His poems have been published in literary journals and magazines including 5 A.M., Black Warrior Review, Mid-American Review, Pittsburgh Quarterly, Southwest Review, and West Branch.[1] His poems have also been read by Garrison Keillor on the nationally syndicated radio show The Writer's Almanac. Born in 1954 in Houston, Texas, Simms attended the School of Irish Studies in Dublin, Ireland; Southern Methodist University (BA, 1976); and the University of Iowa (MFA, 1978). In addition to his literary career, Simms has written and published on health, nutrition and the environment, having earned a certificate in plant-based nutrition from Cornell University (2015). From 1979-1987 he served on the faculty of Southern Methodist University and from 2005-2013 in Chatham University Master of Fine Arts Program in Creative Writing.
In 1998, Simms founded the literary publisher Autumn House Press in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he served as Editor-in-Chief until 2015. He has been the lead editor on over 100 full-length books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction by authors such as Gerald Stern, Ed Ochester, Martha Rhodes, Jo McDougall, Chana Bloch, Samuel Ligon, Samuel Hazo, Sue Ellen Thompson, Frank Gaspar, Sheryl St. Germain, Judith Vollmer, Steven Schwartz, and Richard Jackson, as well as ten anthologies of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. His edited volumes have been reviewed in The New York Times Book Review, The London Times Literary Supplement, The Jerusalem Post, American Poetry Review, and many other periodicals. Simms is the founder of the online literary magazine Coal Hill Review and the publisher of the political magazine Vox Populi. Simms lives with his wife Eva, a psychologist, and their two children in the historic neighborhood of Mount Washington overlooking the city of Pittsburgh.
Books
Poetry Collections
- Black Stone (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Monkey Sea Editions, 2009)
- The Happiness of Animals (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Monkey Sea Editions, 2006)
- The Fire-eater (Dallas, Texas: Firewheel Press, 1989)
- Migration (Portland, Oregon: Breitenbush Books, 1985)
- Notes on Continuing Light (Des Moines: Blue Buildings, 1981)
Nonfiction
- Longman Dictionary of Poetic Terms (co-author with Jack Myers, New York: Longman, 1989)
- Longman Dictionary and Handbook of Poetry, (co-author with Jack Myers, New York: Longman, 1985)
Anthologies Edited
- The Autumn House Anthology of Contemporary American Poetry (Pittsburgh: Autumn House Press, 2011, 2015)
- O. Henry’s Texas Stories (co-editor with Marian McClintock, Dallas: Stillpoint Press, 1986)
References
Sources
Contemporary Authors Online. The Gale Group, 2003. PEN (Permanent Entry Number): 0000149473.
