Each Book is a Journey!
The Cornerstone Press at UW-Stevens Point teaches real industry skills, including marketing and production aesthetics. The practical side of the press — funding business needs—and the inspiring side—collaborating with new authors; it all unfolds every semester giving students challenges they will face in future publishing careers.
To be involved in the press is to understand how to manage wide-ranging demands of the publishing industry and to play a role in helping writers achieve their dreams of becoming authors. Below are the courses offered in our year-round program.
CORNERSTONE PRESS COURSES
Book and Publication Design
Description:
Study the art and application of book and publication design. Use Adobe InDesign Publishing Suite to create layouts, covers, and other book materials. Edit, design, market, and sell at minimum one book acquired by Cornerstone Press.
3 cr.
Editing and Publishing
Description:
Writing, editing, and preparing materials for publication, including consideration of reader/editor appeal, and ways to market manuscripts. [Editor’s note: The class must find a manuscript, produce and sell a book.] Available for graduate credit as ENGL 549.
3 cr.
Creation Nonfiction
Description:
Art of nonfiction writing using literary devices to write about true events. The course explores creative nonfiction forms and includes class discussion of student work.
Prerequisites:
Either ENGL 250 or ENGL 253, Instructor Consent, or Department Consent
3 cr.
Small Press Management
Description:
Management of the editing, production, and media campaigns for forthcoming Cornerstone Press titles, with emphasis on team leadership, management ethics, and fiscal operations appropriate to a literary publishing house. May be repeated for credit for up to 6 credits. Available for graduate credit as ENGL 569.
Prerequisites:
Completion of either ENGL 101 or ENGL 150 (Added 202 as an option for those transfer students that don’t have 101)
1-3 cr.
Publication For Teachers
Description:
Foundational publication and journalism basics connected to theory and practice; intended for those teaching at the middle and secondary levels in any/all subjects. Available for graduate credit as ENGL 573.
Prerequisites:
Admission to Professional Education Program (English) or Department Consent
Typically Offered:
Summer Only
3 cr.
Editorial Process
Description:
Study of the editorial process, including editorial theory, developmental editing, copyediting, and proofreading. Consider the role of the editor in various kinds of media, engage in hands-on editorial work, and consult with editors and writers. Available for graduate credit as ENGL 588.
3 cr.
Book History
Description:
Study of the book as a medium and its role in the development and transmission of culture, addressing the implications of topics such as authorship, printing, publishing, distribution, bookselling, and reading. Course themes will be developed both theoretically via case studies and practically via hands-on activities. Available for graduate credit as ENGL 589.
3 cr.
Profession of Authorship
Description:
The figure of the “author” from 1800 to the present in the United States, focusing on the writer as professional both in the literary marketplace and in the culture at large, and examining representative authors from Susanna Rowson to Toni Morrison. Available for graduate credit as ENGL 590.
3 cr.
Typically Offered: Once per academic year