Lyn Lifshin
Queen of the Small Presses — A Modern Emily Dickinson
For more than five decades, Lyn Lifshin (1942–2019) wrote with relentless intensity, publishing over 130–150 books and chapbooks while remaining fiercely independent of academia. Called the “Queen of the Small Presses” and described by Ed Sanders as “a modern Emily Dickinson,” Lifshin built one of the most prolific and distinctive careers in contemporary American poetry.
From Paper Apples (1975) to books on Marilyn Monroe, Malala Yousafzai, Degas’ Little Dancer, Hitchcock, tango, Barbie, and racehorses like Ruffian and Barbaro, Lifshin pursued obsessions that became entire poetic worlds.
“The eskimo words for ‘to breathe’ and to make poetry are the same.”
— Wednesday, Paper Apples (1975)
For Lifshin, poetry was not a profession. It was breath.
About Lyn Lifshin
Lyn Lifshin built her career almost entirely outside academic institutions. While some in “the Academy” dismissed her independence, she published relentlessly in small presses and major journals alike, creating a literary ecosystem of her own.
- Born: 1942
- Died: 2019
- Known as: Queen of the Small Presses
- Compared to: Emily Dickinson
- Books: 130–150+
- Edited: Major anthologies of women’s writing
- Documentary: Lyn Lifshin: Not Made of Glass (1987)
“I can’t imagine not writing poetry—it’s an obsession… Often… I don’t feel alive unless I’m writing.”
Her life and writing were inseparable—each address she lived at became part of what she called a map of “dissolving houses,” where memory, place, and poetry braided together.
The Houses: A Map of Dissolving Walls
Lifshin’s life can be traced through houses and addresses that anchor memory and belonging:
- 23 Hill Street, Barre, Vermont — Early childhood; first “writer’s eye” memory of “dancing trees.”
- 38 Main Street, Middlebury, Vermont — The only Jewish family in town; formative outsider identity.
In Paper Apples, the poem “Directions to Get Here” transforms literal driving directions into emotional architecture:
“…the way the walls are how it’s all dissolving you must hurry come…”
The dissolving house becomes a central metaphor for instability, longing, and the urgency of connection.
Paper Apples (1975)
Paper Apples is a landmark early collection and a signature sequence in Lifshin’s career.
Breath as Poetry
“The eskimo words for ‘to breathe’ and to make poetry are the same.”
For Lifshin, writing was a biological necessity, as vital as breath.
Small, Hard Paper Apples
“…packed it rolled it tight in wads of paper small hard paper apples.”
Her poems compress hurt into tangible objects—dense, preserved, and durable, like the chapbooks and small-press volumes that carried her work.
Constellations of Memory
Fragments titled “1942” and “1945” map family memory, domestic interiors, and sensory detail: apples stored in linen boxes, birthmarks under yellow hair, coal bins, and cats giving birth. Memory itself becomes archival; paper becomes skin—and something more.
Obsessions: Worlds Within Books
Lifshin didn’t just write poems—she pursued obsessions until they became full collections. Often starting from a single requested poem, she would keep going:
- Iconic women: Marilyn Monroe, Malala Yousafzai, Barbie
- Art & film: Degas’ Little Dancer, Alfred Hitchcock
- Dance: Tango
- Racehorses: Ruffian, Secretariat, Barbaro
- Historical & political subjects: refugees and more
“I’d get started and become obsessed and kept on.”
Power and fragility—especially in iconic women and racehorses—recur throughout these obsession-driven works.
Editorial Work & Feminist Curation
Beyond her own books, Lifshin edited influential anthologies that amplified women’s voices and intergenerational dialogue:
- Tangled Vines
- Lip Unsealed
- Ariadne’s Thread
- Multiple mother/daughter poetry anthologies
As an editor and curator, she helped shape feminist literary culture across the small-press world.
Awards & Recognition
- Hart Crane Memorial Award (1969)
- Bread Loaf Scholar (1971)
- Author with Black Sparrow Press
- Publications in major journals including Chicago Review, American Poetry Review, Ploughshares, The Sun, and Denver Quarterly
- Subject of the documentary Lyn Lifshin: Not Made of Glass (1987)
Despite skepticism from some academic quarters, her impact across independent publishing was unmatched.
Legacy
For decades, Lifshin was a defining voice of the independent poetry scene. Her books—often small press chapbooks—circulated widely, appearing in magazine after magazine across generations.
Her legacy continues through:
- 130+ published titles
- Anthologies she edited
- Documentary and interview archives
- Digital and physical collections preserving her “dissolving houses”
“Her life told through the houses she lived in. Each address a chapter of memory, loss, and poetry.”