The Anthracite Press

 Anthracite Press - REBORN

There are many jokes about this little coal town I grew up in. Take, for example:

• “You have an uncontrollable urge to buy bread and milk when you hear the word ‘snow.’”
• “You know what REAL pot pie is.”
• “You say things like, ‘Outen the lights,’ “I’m calling off today,” and “They’re calling for snow.”
• “You only buy your beer and soda by the case.”
• Pennsylvania weather: hot, cold, snow, rain… all before breakfast.

I’m not goin to mention the shitty roads or potholes or endless construction that has its own season; some things just ain’t funny no more. Then of course, we have our own language affectionately known as “Coal Speak.” We say ‘tings like:

call for - to stand outside someone's house and yell for them to come out (to play, visit, etc.). "Where was ya? I was calling for ya for twunny minutes!"
conniption - a fit of hysteria or anxiety. "Awright, awready! I'm comin'!! Don't have a conniption!
downda line - used when referring to almost anything south of your current location.
paper hankies - tissue, Kleenex

But, one of the biggest and most astonishing jokes is that we, here in my beloved hills and valleys of Northeast Pennsylvania, full of talented artisans and crafters, we don’t have a single PUBLISHING HOUSE ANYWHERE!

Ah, I see you guys all reaching for Google, so let me help ya out a bit:

“The name Anthracite Press can refer to two notable publishing entities tied to Northeast Pennsylvania: [1, 2]”

• The Modern Regional Publisher: Founded by Jc Roberts and Lorrie Loughney, this small, independent press showcases the work of local and statewide writers across poetry, essays, and creative non-fiction. They collaborate with The Anthracite Journal to highlight Northeast PA creative voices. [1, 2]

• The Historical Scranton Publisher: A regional publishing house operating in Scranton, PA, in the early 1930s (located near the Hotel Jermyn), known for historical prints like S. Fletcher Weyburn's Following the Connecticut Trail. [1, 2]

Now there are entities out there that will publish, but that covers anything and everything anyone can jam between two covers. I have definite views on such types of publications, but we’ll touch on that another time.

Back to the subject at hand. Yep! There ya go, straight from da inner-net, so it’s gotta be true! NO viable publisher with a group or readers and peers to choose, reject, or reach out, heaven forbid, to those writers who might like a little direction on their next submission. There are many platforms that you can submit your work through: Submittable, Subfolio, Duosoma, and on and on. Most likely you’ve experienced one, if not all, but WOW! You spend a lot of time crafting, editing, revising, and then searching for somewhere to submit it, and finally settling on one that seems to fit your piece. You find out that even though your work fits, YOU don’t! I let you figure out what that means; I won’t dignify it with an explanation.

In conjunction with The Anthracite Journal, The Anthracite Press will vehemently hold firm to our core beliefs: the only bad writing, painting, creating, or dreaming is none at all! We, as publishers, are more concerned with what you create than who, what, and where you are; get it? I bounced this concept off a friend a while back, and he asked me, “What do you know about women's issues, gay rights, creative art, comic art and illustration, playwriting? Your main focus is the working class. The Blue-Collar World your poetry comes from is what makes you, you,” His point? Focused and specialized magazines are necessary. “Ok, but,” I countered, “reading and exposure are the keys to understanding everything. So why not include everyone? What dirty concepts these days, inclusion and diversity!” We, as artists, should strive to repair these bridges, and that’s what we want to do, without trying.

So, Lorrie and I are dressing up some old rags in new duds and dragging them outta the mines into the light of day. “The Anthracite Press” has been reborn! I have a strange urge to quote Victor Frankenstein here, but I’ll refrain. The Journal will be the testing grounds. From there, we will reach out to our creatives and ask them to submit more work for consideration for publication under the Anthracite Press masthead. We’re looking forward to continuing to work with our creative community and to bringing something new back from an old, abandoned vein.

If you haven't heard, we have a Facebook page, so look us up and join our community.

Keep your eyes open for our next call for submissions coming in August of 2026.

- jc