10 Questions with… Tom Booth, director of the Oregon State University Press, who is retiring this month after 35 years with the press
What originally brought you to Oregon State?
I went to University of Oregon, my parents were both Ducks and my granddad played for the Ducks in the 1920 Rose Bowl. A career at OSU was never something I’d imagined. I’d worked for the Oregon Historical Society Press and then for a literary press called Breitenbush Books when I heard that OSU Press was hiring its first marketing manager. I temporarily became a Beaver for 30 years.
In an era when university presses and independent publishers are disappearing, what has helped the OSU Press survive?
Our small size has allowed us to stay nimble and to respond well to profound shifts in the publishing industry. We’re an award-winning scholarly publisher but we also serve as the state’s foremost regional press, publishing exceptional books about Oregon’s people and landscapes, its history and cultures, its politics and values. By publishing for this broader community, the press helps fulfill OSU’s land-grant mission, extending the university’s reach and reputation. It helps that Oregonians are a curious bunch who like to read.
What makes you passionate about higher education?
The bringing together of scholars from various disciplines to address critical issues and the synergy that results. OSU does a wonderful job of nurturing this kind of work. Our editorial board meetings are a microcosm of this, where you’ll have a forest ecologist, a historian, a geographer and other experts weighing in on the merits or weaknesses of a manuscript.
What motivated you to focus so much effort on underrepresented communities, and what are some of your favorite publications that have come from that work?
We want our books to contribute to the conversations about deep power imbalances in society and to tell the stories of all Oregonians. Over the past few years Kim Hogeland, our senior acquisitions editor, has been working with scholars, tribal leaders, activists and others to develop important community-based Indigenous studies works. These are books intended to inform and engage community audiences; a recent example is “Landkeeping: Restoring Indigenous Fire Stewardship and Ecological Partnerships.” Another book I’d recommend is “This is Not for You: An Activist’s Journey of Resistance and Resilience” by Richard Brown, a Black Portlander who spent decades working to bridge the divide between police and the Black community.
What advice would you give the younger version of yourself who was just starting college?
The library is the best place to study on campus, but it is so much more. Take time to learn about all its resources, from tools for research and learning to Special Collections and the Library of Things. And then be sure to leave the library and go to that talk by the visiting scholar or poet.
What are the key elements you look for in a manuscript that are essential to an OSU Press selection?
That the manuscript helps us to better understand the Oregon experience. That it’s compelling, well-written, well-researched and well-organized.
What was your favorite course in college?
At UO, I took courses on Pacific Northwest history and literature from revered professors Richard Maxwell Brown, Ed Bingham and Glen Love. It was an honor years later to work with the latter two on their OSU Press books.
At a time when we are so distracted by digital media consumption, how can we encourage the next generation of readers?
One way is by continuing to create community around books, whether it’s an Everybody Reads program, an assigned text discussed in a course, a book club or a conversation with a friend about the book they’re reading. In this age of misinformation, there’s a vital need for trusted, reliable knowledge and books can provide deep insights into a range of histories, perspectives and experiences.
What is on your reading list for retirement?
It won’t be out until September, but I can’t wait to read Brian Libby’s “In Search of Portland: Exploring a Transforming City.” It’s part architectural walking tour, part cultural history, and part memoir. That and “Moby Dick,” which I always told myself I’d read once I retire.
What is your favorite nonacademic pursuit or passion?
Running, reading and regular Saturday lunches with our two adult kids. They choose the destination—they know all the best sandwich shops and taquerias in Portland—and I pick up the tab.
