Today we’d like to introduce you to Sage Herrin.
Hi Sage, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
During the pandemic in 2021, Denver is where our poetry press got started, with the help of an incredibly talented and friendly community of poets. We started our press with the purpose of bringing poetry & art together and highlighting mental health awareness. First, we found a talented open mic host, Tyler Hurula, and a queer bar to host us at Goldspot Brewing. It was easy to build community around sharing mental health awareness because it was something we all needed and poetry became the perfect medium for our storytelling. Although we relocated to San Diego in 2024, we’re still close with our Denver community and always grateful for their on-going support.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Without funding, we used Kickstarter to launch our first book, and any small profits we made go back into running the press. Three months after launching, I was diagnosed with PTSD, depression, and anxiety, which kept me at home a lot. Having just moved to the Denver area from out-of-state, I found connections on Instagram and pushed through anxiety to visit open mics. These poets held space for mental health the same way I did; they buoyed me in the darkest time of my life.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
At Beyond The Veil Press, we encourage poets to collaborate with visual artists because the way the mediums work together is more powerful than alone. My background in Sequential Art, which is essentially comic books, directly informs the narratives and how the images and words play off of each other in each manuscript. My creative writing focus helps push the boundaries on what is considered poetry and art in print format and seeks to get more stories into the world.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I believe that we can make our own good luck by showing up, being vulnerable, and immersing in new activities. We were lucky, and privileged, that I was a supported stay-at-home cat parent when the press began, so even during recovery, I was able to give a lot of time and energy to the press for free. The more opportunities we reach for, like collaborating in fundraisers or tabling markets with other presses, the more opportunities we find waiting for us. In Denver, our lucky break was finding our people, the perfect open mic host, and our supportive lgtbq and creative community.
On Sunday, Oct 4th at Fiction Brewery from 3-6pm, we’re relaunching two of our original Denver authors with brand new book covers: ‘Surviving Peter Pan’ by Marissa Forbes and ‘Acid Rain Epithalamium’ by Becca Downs. In 2027, we’re privileged to publish a chapbook by Denver comedian, poet, and artist Ren Q. Dawe.
Upcoming Denver Events:
– Monthly variety show (come as you are, share what feels right) the third Monday of every month at Hooked on Colfax from 6-8pm.
– Starting Sept. 25th, every other month, generative poetry open mic. Fiction Beer Company, last Friday from 7-9pm.
– Marissa Forbes’s capstone project as the 40 West Poet Laureate is hosting a Visual Writer’s Retreat–5 workshops with breakfast & lunch included in galleries, on an art walk, and in a park for $75 on Sept. 26 from 9am-6pm.
Pricing:
- $15
- $20
- $25
Contact Info:
- Website: http://beyondtheveilpress.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyondtheveilpress/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/btvpress
