Bethlehem Library now publishes books, too
To Josh Berk, the idea of a library publishing books is a logical next step for a place where reading and literacy are cherished. BAPL Books, the new publishing arm of the Bethlehem Area Public Library, released its first two books last month, and the library’s executive director says more are coming. “It’s a positive way for the library to support the local literary scene,” he says. “We like to be seen as a place where local writers can come and share their works.” “Home at My Typewriter: Selected Poems” by Bob Cohen ($23.50 online; $20 at the library) and “A Journey” by Matt Wolf ($14 online; $12 at the library) are available through the library’s website, www.bapl.org, and at its main branch, 11 W. Church St., Bethlehem. The online prices also include shipping. Both are paperbacks. The books also are a fundraiser for the library, with proceeds from Cohen’s work and part of the proceeds from Wolf ’s book helping to pay for renovations to a multimedia room named in honor of Cohen, a prolific poet and avid library supporter who died unexpectedly in 2016. Work on that project is set to begin soon. “With this publishing project, a lot of cool things came together,” Berk says, in what could be called a tale of serendipity. A published author in his own right, Berk had been watching the self-publishing industry, taking note of the ways writers can get their works in print, from doing all the work themselves to hiring people or a company to do it for them. So when a local poet approached him a couple of years ago about publishing a book, Berk was aghast at the high price a self-publishing company
“[BAPL Books is] a positive way for the library to support the local literary scene. We like to be seen as a place where local writers can come and share their works.”
— Josh Berk, Bethlehem Area Public Library executive director
had quoted the poet. But the conversation got him thinking. Berk says he knew BAPL could handle the project. “At that time, we had just done our annual report,” he says, which was published by Working Dog Press of Allentown. “I didn’t want to see him get hosed with fees … We could do it at a fraction of the cost and it would be a cool thing.” That project fell through, but the idea for BAPL Books started to take root. That idea blossomed when Amy Miller Cohen approached Berk about publishing some of her husband’s writings. The request made Berk realize the library could publish the works. “I was a friend and fan of Bob’s, too.” The library staff and an intern pitched in on the project, helping to transcribe, edit and design the book. It took about six months to get a completed manuscript together. “I really wanted it to be an attractive project,” Berk says. “The poems are just so charming.” The process was cathartic, too, for Miller Cohen. She says her husband had wanted to publish a book of sibling anecdotes and while this book focuses on a different theme, it drew on Cohen’s life mottos — let life in, use your gifts and do some good. Miller Cohen also helped edit the 101-page book and named some of the poems. The book also includes family photos that provide intimate glimpses in the Cohens’ lives. “It was a wonderful way to grieve,” she says. Through the poems and in unpublished journals, Cohen wrote about the world around him, life and even death, with a sense of humor and irony. “I learned about the breadth and depth of his awareness,” Miller Cohen says. “I don’t think I appreciated the extent of his awareness of nature and people.” Wolf ’s ‘A Journey’ is a more traditional poetry book and it also features photography by Wolf, who works at the library as an information technician. Wolf writes about the world he sees around him, and explores personal and sometimes spiritual themes. His photography sets a similar tone and captures local images, for example, a fisherman in the middle of the Lehigh River by the Philip J. Fahey Memorial Bridge in Bethlehem. The work is Wolf ’s first solo book; his work has appeared in compilations. He says he chose to publish through BAPL because of his familiarity with the Berk and the library. “He’s very author-friendly,” Wolf says. “There’s always pros and cons, but hey, I’m taking a crack at my first poetry book. It’s a great idea for publishing local authors.” Wolf, who lives in Fountain Hill, has been hosting multimedia shows in the area as well as poetry workshops in the Bethlehem Area School District for years. Publishing his own work was a logical next step, although he says it took him 20 years of writing to take that leap. The 1992 Liberty High School grad encouraged wouldbe poets and writers to connect with the local creative community for inspiration and support. “You learn so much from your fellow poets and their experiences,” he says. “Go to art shows, see music concerts, go to your library, the more you interact with creative people, you find collaborations and you find opportunities.” Berks says BAPL will continue to iron out the details of how it will handle submissions and its plans for the fledgling book publishing business. “We need to assess where the project is headed next,” he says. “It’s so brand new we don’t know how many books we want to do … we need to put our heads together in the new year and figure out the next step.” Plans could include putting together anthologies of students’ work, he says. “Our mission is to publish and promote writers of the area and celebrate the local culture.”