Literary Arts - NeWest Press

At a 1977 function with the University of Alberta English literature faculty, George Melnyk formulated a plan for a literary press. Dubbed NeWest Press, the publishing house grew out of the NeWest Review, a monthly journal with articles written about Western Canadian culture. The mandate of NeWest Press, similar to the NeWest Review, was to publish and encourage a western point of view. Douglas Barbour, a poet and university professor helped fund the new venture by providing Melnyk with a $500 loan.

Making its debut on International Women's Day, a compilation of short stories by seven Alberta women, entitled Getting Here, was the first book published by NeWest.

The press began as a small group of friends who would gather to decide upon which books they should publish and how they should raise the required funds. In their first years of production, the business went from publishing five titles, to three in 1978 and then two the following year. By 1982, the Canada Council for the Arts and Alberta Culture were providing the press with regular funding, allowing the company to endure.

The main goal of NeWest Press was to establish an Alberta publisher capable of representing a wide spectrum of western culture and history, focusing on the diversity of western views. Books from a variety of disciplines were considered for publication including regional fiction, poetry, history, current affairs, environmental and fine arts.

The NeWest Institute of Western Canadian Studies collaborated with NeWest Press in the publication of a number of books. Rain and Death, an exploration of the effects of acid rain in Western Canada, is a prime example of the type of socially relevant books published by the institute. Series such as the Western Canadian Literary Documents, Nunatak New Fiction Series, Prairie Play Series and NeWest's Landmark Editions publish various interesting titles such as Rudy Weibe's new book, Playing Dead.

George Melnyk, along with his wife, Julia Berry and Sam Gersonowicz, were the three original partners in NeWest Press and decided to transfer their shares over to a new group in 1982. NeWest Press continues to be a strong and reputable company, maintaining a significant presence in the Canadian literary scene.