Reign of the glamorous assistant

Hi everybody!

Jamie mentioned in his recent blog that he is “giving [his] colleagues permission to post here on VP’s behalf” – so, as one of said colleagues, I thought I’d pop into your inbox and introduce myself. (By the way – the title was his idea!)

My name’s Lindsey, and I have been assisting Jamie at Valley Press since early 2023 – mainly, up to now, with emails, post, and various behind-the-scenes bits and bobs.

You may already be aware of me, and we may even have communicated at some point. Or not. Either way – hello!

As you know, Jamie has had some health issues recently, and his By the Book blog has understandably fallen by the wayside a little. So he has asked me to help out by letting you know about our new (and not quite so new) publications, events, opportunities, and anything else we think you might like to hear about. In other words, when Valley Press has news to share, I may be the one popping up here to tell you.

Just don’t expect the grammar to be quite as good!

I was reading Jamie’s wonderful interview with Katy Mahon about her beautiful poetry pamphlet, Cry – and one sentence in Katy’s answer to his final question really stayed with me:

“One’s art ceases to belong to you when you expose it; people can respond however they like.”

That really resonated with me, because as well as assisting Jamie, I’m also a professional artist. I spend a lot of time making work in my studio, and I know that slightly strange, vulnerable feeling of putting something out into the world and then having to let it go – and that’s both terrifying and rather exciting.

My next task is introducing you properly to Hiking for Her by Amy White. It’s a fantastic read – I can genuinely recommend it – but more on that soon. Here I am preparing the pre-orders for dispatch; one of my favourite parts of the job (yes really!)

For now, thanks for reading, and I look forward to speaking to you again before too long.

Warm wishes,
Lindsey