Porphyry Press: A Remote McCarthy Micropress
Porphyry Press publisher Jeremy Pataky with his first two titles a short jaunt away from press headquarters at the Kennicott Glacier. Photo by Amy O’Connor.
By Michelle McAfee
An in-progress timber-frame house is nestled in the shadow of Porphyry Mountain, the picturesque, snow-dappled peak you see towering behind McCarthy when you reach the end of the road. Next to it, among the Labrador tea and willows, a small stick-frame cabin glows with daylight streaming in from windows and a string of solar-powered LED lights tracing the shelves. It is where Jeremy Pataky has lived for twelve years and where his small traditional book publishing company, Porphyry Press, was born.
Pataky is a writer. His book Overwinter, published by University of Alaska Press, is a beautiful collection of place-based poetry that speaks of land "made of glacial flour and fossilized rivers" in a place where a "creek makes a good fence."
He also publishes the Kennecott-McCarthy Visitors Guide and Edible Alaska magazine and previously worked for various nonprofits, including 49 Writers, a statewide literary organization that he co-founded and later staffed. He has also worked as a consultant for the Anchorage Museum, Alaska State Council on the Arts, Rasmuson Foundation, Alaska Humanities Forum, and others. During this time, running in the background was an interest in finding a way to publish books through a small press.
When author Tom Kizzia asked Pataky if he had any ideas about who might be interested in publishing the new book Kizzia was writing, Pataky knew the moment had arrived. The only answer to that question was to publish the book through the press Pataky had yet to start.
"Tom generously agreed to trust me with Cold Mountain Path: The Ghost Town Decades of McCarthy-Kennecott, Alaska. We were in alignment to have the book benefit the local volunteer-run historical museum. That was a great springboard project for not only releasing that book into the world but also launching Porphyry Press, which will publish many more books," said Pataky.
The publishing landscape in Alaska was shifting at that time. University of Alaska Press, Pataky's own publisher, began trimming back its staff and then institutionally restructured under a Colorado-based umbrella. Alaska Quarterly Review seemed to be under threat, too, and other small publishers like Northshore Press, VP&D House, and Shorefast Editions were folding or cutting back.
Pataky saw an opportunity as he watched the network of publishers in Alaska shrink. His lifelong interest in literature, Alaska, and publishing fueled the courage to start a new traditional press as other publishers were downsizing.
The publishing atmosphere made starting a small press risky enough, but starting a new independent publishing company in McCarthy? Pataky said it is the place that feels most like home for him.
"A lot of the work I do when I'm doing Porphyry Press work is from the cabin within sight of Porphyry Mountain, the namesake. It felt appropriate to base the press here. There's a little fun in being the most remote publishing company in the country. This place is where the inspiration comes from, so it makes sense to anchor it here," said Pataky.
He paused a beat and said he wasn't sure if it was a wise choice to name the press with a word that is difficult to pronounce, hard to spell, hard to remember, and that uses a Y as a vowel. Pataky laughed, "But there it is."
Author Tom Kizzia, artist Kristin Link, and publisher Jeremy Pataky show Link's original maps at a book event in the Kennecott Recreation Hall. Link's maps appear in Cold Mountain Path, and she also created the cover art for Compass Lines. Photo by Corinna Cook.
When he started the press, Pataky knew that coming out of the gate with a book by well-known and deeply respected writer Tom Kizza was a pretty sure bet.
"It was a passion project for Tom and me, too. I knew that Tom would write a book that only Tom could write. And I wanted to do whatever I could to ensure that the publishing would bring the book into readers’ hands in a way that would do Tom's good work justice."
Starting with Cold Mountain Path made sense to Pataky on a practical and ideological level. Besides being well written, he knew Kizzia's book would be thoroughly researched, smart, and surprising in many ways. Pataky hoped that would translate into selling books, making it possible to continue in the business of publishing more titles.
Porphyry Press followed the successful first release of Cold Mountain Path with a different kind of book by author John Messick: Compass Lines: Journeys Toward Home. Messick connected with Porphyry Press in a roundabout way through his and Pataky’s mutual friend, McCarthy illustrator Kristin Link.
The book manuscript ends with an essay set in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park that tells of a summer Messick and his wife spent at the remote historic Bremner Mine as writers through a partnership that Pataky brokered between 49 Writers and the park.
When reading the manuscript, it was clear to him that the book would be a good fit for Porphyry Press. "The writing is excellent, the voice is strong, there are ideas and complexity, and it was also a different kind of book than Tom's—one that I was excited to help bring into the world."
Messick and Pataky worked through editing the manuscript while Covid was happening, which slowed the process. It was worth the wait. In Compass Lines, Messick explores beneath the surface of a wide range of experiences, exposing deeper thoughts, ideas, and concepts with disarming candor. He immerses the reader in places far and near, with ease and flow in the writing and a steady conversational voice.
The cover art for Compass Lines, created by Link, is based on a photo Pataky took at McCarthy Creek. A full-color map overlays a fractured river stone printed on high-quality paper with a soft matte finish. The cover art and the writing contained within are a keepsake—the kind of book you want to gift or keep on the coffee table.
Porphyry Press’s primary print runs are made with 100% post-consumer recycled paper. Compass Lines and Cold Mountain Path are available in many places around the Copper River Basin. You can order books directly from the press at https://porphyry.press and subscribe to their newsletter to receive news about events, book releases, or sales.
Pataky is feeling antsy. He's excited about releasing his third book before too long, and more are in the works. "Alaska is a place full of critically minded readers. Alaska reads. Another thing Alaska does really well is write. There are incredible writers among us. Not just wildlife and scenery are bigger and more plentiful in Alaska. That is true for literature as it is for fish."