What can I tell you about the publishing business? It’s changing, that’s for sure, since everyone, man jack of them, is publishing their own work, although a lot of companies don’t care if it’s good work or not. 

Four to five thousand dollars is what it costs the author, and since beginning writers think their stuff is priceless, they pay. Only later do they learn how bad their first efforts at writing were.

Snake Nation Press has tried to keep its integrity, only publishing work we feel is worthwhile and not charging an author. And it sure is interesting how things work out. A hundred years ago — no really, just back in 2004 — when Snake Nation Press first published Robert Earl Price’s fourth poetry book, “Wise Blood,” we editors, Jean Arambula and I, were thrilled with his rather controversial poems.

Coretta, Coretta , Where you been so long

Coretta, Coretta , Where you been so long

We ain’t had no loving since he been gone. 

Robert Earl said no one would publish that poem, “Holiday,” up in Atlanta. And there were even some arguments between our editors about the title of the book, “Wise Blood,” since Flannery O’Connor’s novel carried that same name. 

Of course, there is no copyright on titles, and Robert Earl had already published three other books with the word blood in the title. Jean and I, being writers ourselves, always try to let writers do what they want, since they will anyway, and we wanted to publish Robert Earl’s book.

Now, Snake Nation Press has published Robert Earl’s fifth book of poetry, “Blood Flow,” in 2020 and after publication, it won the William Meredith Foundation Prize. Based in Uncasville, Conn., the President of the Foundation, Richard Harteis, in a statement announcing the award, said, “If we cannot share his blood, we have at least the poems. They help us understand how Black lives matter, how to look into the eyes of a fellow human being and find our own humanity. This is the great gift Price has given us. William Meredith would have been so glad the 2021 award in his name has gone to Robert Earl Price, a brother in the arts.”

I must say Jean and I have often congratulated each other on our choices since the authors we’ve published go on to win bigger and better prizes and recognition. For instance, Trent Busch’s poem, “Edges of Roads” first published in Snake Nation Review went on to win the 2016 Margaret Reid Poetry Prize.

Now, once again, Snake Nation Press’ choice of a writer and a work has been vindicated by a bigger and better prize. I want to tell anyone who thinks this part of the South is behind the times or prejudiced to see the different groups and people here in Lowndes County who do not fit into any definition, except that of trying to find and do the best possible work for everyone. Along with the Turner Arts Center, Snake Nation Press will be publishing the work and winners of the high school competition that was conducted by Cheryl Carvajal this past year.

The Turner Arts Center’s Spring into Art exhibition is another example of a dedicated group, led by the very able Sementha Mathews, the director, in trying to find and display any artist who wants to submit. Bill Shenton, the curator, hangs the 300-plus pieces of art for the event in an exceptional way, as he does the Jerry Tillman collection of African Art in the side gallery. So much going on, and so many talented, creative people in our little neck of the woods. Who would have thunk it?

I, especially, have a special place in my heart for Robert Earl Price and his poems since he first came to Valdosta as an on-site visitor for the Georgia Council for the Arts. What was our writers’ group back then in the Turner Center, but a very few, very white, older women? Yet Robert Earl gave his all in his reading and “God bless him,” he gave the center a good review.

“Blood Flow” is an exceptional collection of understandable, heartfelt poems, and Robert Earl makes use of everything in his history and his culture to open up that world to the reader. He even devotes 12 poems, “Women with Axes,” to 12 underappreciated women. We worked with Robert Earl revising and correcting his poems, and it sure paid off in his winning the William Meredith Foundation Prize.

Roll on, Robert Earl, Roll on.

Roberta George is the founding publisher of Snake Nation Press and a former executive director of the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts.