University of Indianapolis Press: Meet the Press Luncheon

Yesterday I had the honor of attending the annual Meet the Press luncheon at the University of Indianapolis Press. Press director Dr. Phylis Lan Lin (see photo of us at left) invited me as thanks for helping her on a project this summer.

Guests at the luncheon included several of the press's authors, its board of directors, university faculty, and the various outside consultants who have worked with the press this year.

Opening remarks were from Dr. Phil Young, director of the university library and a member of the press's board of directors. He spoke about the history of the press, which was begun in the 1980s but has seen a rebirth under the leadership of Dr. Lin since 2004.

The press has published 18 books and aims to publish 2 or 3 new titles each year. Topics of focus include academic subjects, in particular Asian studies, Methodism, and service learning. But they are also open to novels (and Dr. Young has published two himself) and other works that advance literature in general. Authors tend to be university faculty, but the press is also accepting proposals from those outside the university community.

Dr. Lin reports that internships will be available with the press, in areas such as marketing, technical writing, and production. The internships will pay (although Dr. Lin jokingly referred to the compensation as "slavery wages"). University of Indianapolis students will have first preference, but Dr. Lin is also open to considering applications from students at other Indianapolis-area institutions.

After the nice luncheon, I was able to visit with JIST's favorite resume-collection author, Dr. David Noble, who is U of I faculty and a member of the press's board of directors. Then I scoped out the university's Follett-run bookstore (and found several of my JIST books on the shelves) and the library. All in all, a pleasant afternoon!