Maze Books, Rockford, Ill., has launched a publishing initiative that will focus on showcasing local talent. The first book to be released under the Maze Books imprint is Cold Comfort, a collection of poems, essays and illustrations by the bookshop's owner, Dave Pedersen. The Rock River Current reported that his goals "extend beyond a glorified form of self-publishing: Pedersen hopes to make Maze Books a means to export Rockford's literary and artistic talent to other communities."
"We're importing so many things here, and there's so much talent I think we can export it," he said. "There's something about Rockford that's not like anywhere else. There is something here that we can export, and I think it's a lot of creativity."
The next title from Maze Books, set for a 2025 release, will be a haiku anthology focused on Rockford and illustrated by local artist Joe Tallman. Pedersen also envisions poetry chapbooks and reprints of classic works in the public domain with fresh covers from Rockford artists or forewords from local literary experts, the Rock River Current noted.
"The hope that this can be a cultural hub for literature--that is something I've talked about since we opened," Pedersen said. "The anthology is going to be a great way to showcase some of the talent, and it's going to be a great way for me to get more into the editing role....
"I like to showcase writers and authors and poets who are in regular attendance at other authors and poets events. The people who will be published at Maze Books will be people who you already know about, who have already been putting in the work and supporting everybody, and this will be the cherry on top for them."