Emilie Buchwald

Emilie Buchwald is a literary editor and author. She is the co-founder of the Minneapolis, Minnesota-based, non-profit publisher, Milkweed Editions.^[1][2] In 2007, she won the National Book Critics Circle Lifetime Achievement Award in Publishing.^[2]

Early life and education

Buchwald was born on September 6, 1935, in Vienna, Austria, to parents Norbert Norton and Marya (Knebel) Bix.^[3] After Krystallnacht, her family emigrated to the United States in 1939.^[2] She grew up in New York City^[4] and began writing poetry as a child. According to Buchwald, her father was a marvelous story-teller and influenced her interest in writing.^[3] She attended Hunter College High School in New York City and Barnard College.^[2] She graduated from Barnard College with a Bachelor of Arts in 1957.^[3]

In 1954, she married medical student Henry Buchwald, who later became a surgeon.^[3][2] From 1955 to 1957, she worked in editorial positions during the summers off from college, including at TV Guide and Mademoiselle magazine.^[3]

In 1960, she obtained a Master of Arts from Columbia University.^[3] After, she moved with her husband to Minneapolis for his work.^[2] From 1960 to 1968, she was an English instructor at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. In 1971, she graduated with a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.^[3]

Milkweed Chronicle

In 1979, Buchwald and Randy "R.W." Scholes founded a literature and art journal in Minneapolis, naming it Milkweed Chronicle. The first issue was published in 1980 and Buchwald served as the editor for the journal while Scholes was the art director. The journal ran for 21 issues until 1987. It featured local and national writers and artists.

Publishing

In the 1980s, the journal transitioned into a publisher and press called Milkweed Editions. In the 1990s and 2000s, the press published non-fiction books about social issues, as well as fiction and poetry books. After 24 years at the publishing house, Buchwald retired from Milkweed Editions in 2003.^[5]

In 2006, Buchwald started Gryphon Press, which she originally incorporated in the late 1980s. It publishes children's books that focus on the humane treatment of animals.^[4][2]

Selected works

• GILDAEN: The Heroic Adventures of a Most Unusual Rabbit (1973) - author^[6]
• Floramel and Estaban - author^[4]
• The Poet Dreaming in the Artist's House - co-editor (1984)^[5]
• Transforming a Rape Culture (1993) - editor^[7]

References

1. Grossmann, Mary Ann (31 May 2020). "Good medicine: New book looks at 'Surgical Renaissance in the Heartland'". Twin Cities. Pioneer Press. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
2. Kalfus, Ken (11 March 2008). "NBCC 2007 Sandrof Awardee Emilie Buchwald of Milkweed Editions – National Book Critics Circle". National Book Critics Circle. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
3. Commire, Anne, ed. (1975). "Emilie Buchwald (1935-)". Something About the Author. Vol. 7. Gale. p. 31. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
4. Grossmann, Mary Ann (24 June 2016). "Voice for the voiceless: Gryphon specializes in kids' books about animals". Twin Cities. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
5. "Collection: Milkweed Editions records | University of Minnesota Archival Collections Guides". archives.lib.umn.edu. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
6. "GILDAEN: The Heroic Adventures of a Most Unusual Rabbit". Kirkus Reviews. 18 April 1973. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
7. "Transforming a Rape Culture". Publishers Weekly. 30 August 1993. Retrieved 6 August 2020.