Grid Books began as Off the Grid Press, founded in the fall of 2003 by Tam Lin Neville and Bert Stern to provide a forum for older poets who are sometimes overlooked by the current marketplace. Off the Gridโs mission was established with its first offering, Loyalty: New and Selected Poems, the second book by poet and social justice activist Henry Braun. In 2008, Loyalty went on to win the Maine Literary Award for Poetry, and the press has since brought forth nine books to the acclaim of critics and poets alike. The press has also distinguished itself for the quality of its publications, which are produced with smyth-sewn binding and are designed by Michael Alpert of Bangor, Maine. Over the years, the press has evolved in its mission to publish writers whose work is often sidelined by mainstream publishing. In 2011, Stern and Neville established the Off the Grid Prize to honor writers whose sensibilities were formed in earlier generations but whose vision is fresh, and a winner is awarded annually each December. In 2015, hoping to broaden the pressโs mission and reach, Stern and Neville granted editorial control to poets Elizabeth Murphy and Rob Arnold, who re-launched the project as Grid Books. Today, Grid Books continues its mission to publish work that springs from the margins by representing writers of all ages and backgrounds, and in a range of formats.
