MA/MS in Book Publishing: Giving

Give to Ooligan Press

Ooligan press depends on both the sales of its books and the generosity of donors to help with the day-to-day costs of running a publishing house. The students in the graduate program have worked tirelessly to build a catalog of quality books in a range of genres, to move the catalog into the digital realm by publishing ebooks, and to hold a yearly publishing conference. They have big goals, not only for their education and careers, but for the future of the graduate program and Ooligan Press.

As a donor, you can support these students in the pursuit of their goals through your contributions to any one of our three funds. The Ooligan Press General Fund supports our student-staffed publishing house, Ooligan Press. The Ooligan Press Sustainability Initiative helps the press maintain high standards in sustainable publishing. The Ooligan Press Diversity Scholarship helps support students whose lived-experiences promote diversity at Ooligan Press as they pursue their degrees. 

You can also support student publishing and Ooligan Press while shopping at Bookshop.org using our affiliate link. “Bookshop is an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores.” Bookshop is dedicated to anyone who advocates for books through their affiliate program, which pays a 10 percent commission on every sale, and gives a matching 10 percent to independent bookstores. Learn more about Bookshop on their website.

Your donations help students' dreams become realities. Thank you for your support!

Diversity Scholarship Recipients

2024—Dulce Nunez, Isabel Matthews, and Araliya Dooldeniya

Dulce Nunez earned her Bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in Creative Writing from Southern Oregon University. At the present, she is pursuing a Master’s degree in Book Publishing from Portland State University. With her analytical eye and unique sense of creativity, she wants to support and promote diverse voices in the projects she is a part of. She is bilingual in English and Spanish, and is currently learning Japanese and Korean. She is a lover of all things fantasy and sci-fi. Some of her hobbies are reading, writing, drawing, playing video games, and watching Anime, J-pop, K-pop, and K-dramas. She is looking forward to entering the publishing world.

Isabel Matthews earned her Bachelor's in English Literature through Southern New Hampshire University Online. She has always been an avid reader of fantasy, horror, and romance. After working at a library for a couple years and being surrounded by books, she realized she wanted to pursue a career in the publishing industry. Going forward, she hopes to work somewhere local or at an independent press doing marketing or developmental editing, hyping up BIPOC and queer voices from across the globe. One of her favorite things to read and watch is anything with Black vampires or a ragtag group of friends pulling off a seemingly impossible heist.

Araliya Dooldeniya earned her Bachelor’s in English from Abilene Christian University. After serving as editor for the undergraduate art and literary magazine, The Shinnery Review, and interning at the University Press, she fell in love with getting to work with authors and promote their work. She loves reading YA, fantasy, and romance, with a soft spot for anything dystopian. She is excited about growing in her publishing experience through the program and hopes to work in developmental editing of young adult fiction, supporting and amplifying diverse stories and voices to publish books she wishes she’d had growing up. 
 

2023—AJ Adler, Ariana Espinoza, and Jessica Pelton

AJ Adler (she / they) earned her bachelor's degree in Comparative Literature from Reed College. She wrote for their newspaper, The Quest, but became interested in the publishing program because she enjoyed her tutoring job, where she honed her skills editing the work of her pupils. She plans to focus on editing at the start of her career, but would eventually like to learn enough about the industry to start her own publishing company. Her goal is to give a voice to the LGBTQIA+ authors she wishes she’d heard growing up.

Ariana Espinoza earned her Bachelor's degree in English from California State University Stanislaus with a minor in Journalism. After attending New York University's 2023 Summer Publishing Institute, she is looking forward to earning her Master's in Book Publishing from Portland State University. Her goal is to specialize in editing and work as a book editor. Through her work, Ariana looks forward to reading and cultivating the many diverse voices and literacies that are entering the publishing world.

Jessica Pelton is from Cincinnati, Ohio and recently earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Alabama. In her free time she enjoys crocheting, eating Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, and reading books featuring queer joy. As she enters into the publishing industry, she aims to promote stories by diverse voices, especially queer voices, that center underrepresented identities and resist reduction to one type of experience.

2022—Yomari Lobo, Cecilia Too, and Claire Curry

Yomari Lobo is a Las Vegas native who recently got her Bachelor's degree in Psychology at UNLV. She started writing in the sixth grade after falling in love with The Avengers, creating stories that involved her becoming her own hero. Over the years her stories evolved, and she began creating her own characters within their own worlds. She plans on getting her Master's in Book Publishing at Portland State University and utilizing every opportunity in her path to gain the skills to become a literary agent, focusing on representing books from authors of color.

Cecilia Too is from Seattle, WA. She graduated with her Bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Washington, Seattle in 2018. Since then, she has worked in a variety of customer service roles. This past year, she completed a service year through Johnson Service Corps in Durham, NC where she worked in a program coordinator role at an emergency shelter. Outside of work, Cecilia enjoys reading, cooking, watching k-dramas, and playing the piano. She hopes to learn about the publishing process from start to finish and gain hands-on publishing experience so that she can one day run her own publishing press. She hopes to spotlight diverse and marginalized voices, especially women and Asian Americans.

Claire Curry received her Bachelor's degree from Portland State University in Liberal Studies. Her thesis involved writing, editing, and designing a book on crows in urban environments and discussing the publishing process. This project received an Honorable Mention in the Honors College Academic Achievement Award for 2021-2022. She’s always been interested in exploring the many ways books can influence readers and is excited to explore this further in the publishing program. Claire plans to develop her editing, copyediting, and design skills as well as learn more about unfamiliar areas of publishing. Her hope is to take these skills and support the publication of underrepresented voices and stories.

 2021—Elliot Bailey

Elliot Bailey chose to study book publishing because they have always had a love for books and editing, and wanted to learn more about the industry before jumping into the workforce. After graduation, they plan to work for a local publisher and work their way up to managing editor. Elliot hopes to focus their career on publishing books written by diverse authors for diverse audiences, especially queer audiences and authors, of all genres. Their hope for the future of publishing is that the industry becomes more accessible to underrepresented populations, so that the books published and the people behind the scenes are more diverse.

Previous Dennis Stovall Award Winners

2024—Janeth Hernandez and Jordan Bernard

An exemplary generalist, Janeth Hernandez demonstrated strong capacity in editing, design, and social media content production. Equally skilled at the minute detail work necessary to shepherd a manuscript through production and the big-picture work of planning and executing a launch, Janeth managed both internal teams and author expectations with aplomb. A video and audio editor, Janeth made social media collateral that drove interest in A Family, Maybe, the memoir for which she was project manager. She organized classroom visits around PSU for her author and interviewed him onstage at the book’s launch. Janeth's research comparing phrases that signify consent in contemporary romance and dark romance uncovered DR's surprisingly more legible consent model. Janeth is an exemplary all-around book publishing student and professional.

Copyeditors can be unsung heroes. The brilliance of their work is almost never visible to anyone other than the author who benefits from their suggestions. Jordan Bernard went above and beyond in her duties at Ooligan Press’s Copy Chief. Every piece of collateral, from full-length manuscripts to Instagram posts, hit a level of excellence worthy of an award-winning press. Jordan made several significant catches with manuscripts and marketing materials. Her editorial leadership improved Ooligan’s books and its internal workflow. She elevated concerns for the betterment of the press and program. Her research about reader reviews of the top twenty-five paid and top twenty-five free dark romance books analyzes most frequently occurring words. Jordan exemplifies the Book Publishing program’s mission.

2023—Karina Agbisit 

Karina Agbisit embodies the collaborative, intentional, and inclusive spirit of the Book Publishing program, exemplified through her leadership as the Ooligan Project Manager of Tribal Histories of the Willamette Valley (THWV). Karina is a clear communicator, a thorough and thoughtful editor, and an advocate for social justice and inclusivity in book publishing. She sought grant support for THWV and applied her research skills to Latinx-owned children's publishers. Karina represents the mission of the program and is an all-around exemplary book publishing professional.

2022—Alexandra Magel, Luis Ramos, and Megan Jessop

Alexandra Magel exemplifies breadth and depth in book publishing through her deep skills in metadata, marketing, and design but also a profound understanding of how all of the different pieces and parts of publishing work together to create a larger whole. She thrived as the Ooligan Publisher’s Assistant, where no task was too big or too mundane. From aiding reader discovery to designing book interiors to researching book cover durability, Alexandra represents the mission of the book publishing program.

Luis Soto Ramos embodies the collaborative spirit of the Book Publishing program as a leader who guides his team through mentorship. He is the Ooligan Project Manager of Love, Dance & Egg Rolls and has strategically and clearly shaped the vision for the book’s brand. Luis demonstrated stellar skills in design, marketing, and leadership.

Megan Jessop is a tenacious, persistent, and consistent publishing professional who had exceptional growth in the book publishing program, particularly excelling in developmental editing and marketing. In advocating for social justice in the industry, Megan led by example, through research on book deserts and acquisitions practices. She is an all-around exemplar in book publishing.

2021—Grace Hansen and Cole Bowman

Grace Hansen excels as an Ooligan manager, marketer, and editor. In the Fall of 2020, she led the Ooligan book, Laurel, Everywhere through the first planned virtual launch event during COVID. Grace is also a Graduate Assistant in Book Publishing, where she has been instrumental in planning the program's 20th-anniversary events, communicating with alumni, and managing the website redesign. From innovating in the Ooligan project manager or Graduate Assistant roles to developing research about the gender gap in book publishing, Grace is an all-around exemplar of the Book Publishing program's mission.

Cole Bowman, a dual-degree graduate student in English as well as Book Publishing, is a prolific leader, editor, designer, and marketer at Ooligan Press. Cole Bowman embodies the collaborative spirit of the Book Publishing program; their mentorship and guidance has benefited the members of their Ooligan project team. In advocating for social justice in the industry, Cole leads by example, such as through their groundbreaking research about diversity in the Portland comics industry.

2020—Julie Collins

Julie Collins represents the breadth and depth of the Book Publishing program. From innovating in the Ooligan project manager role overseeing the book Elephant Speak to developing research about sustainable book practices, Julie is an excellent representative of Dennis Stovall’s legacy and name. Always at the top of coursework, Julie is also a Graduate Assistant in Book Publishing, where she has expanded and enhanced the reach and communication of the program’s events, alumni connections, and goals. Her capacity to mentor and guide has benefitted the members of her Ooligan project team. Through the course of the program, Julie has honed and strengthened her management, design, and marketing skills that make her an all-around exemplar of the Book publishing’s program’s mission.

2019—Jenny Kimura

Jenny Kimura represents the breadth and depth of the Book Publishing program. Whether she’s managing the design process for all Ooligan assets, or creating groundbreaking research about depictions of race in young adult book covers, Jenny leads by example. Diligent in affect, precise in execution, Jenny designed the covers for two frontlist titles (The Widmer Way and Sleeping In My Jeans). With Hannah Ziegler, she co-designed the cover for Odsburg, for which she also did the visually innovative interior. Her research project, in which she hand-coded more than 720 titles, seeks to find patterns of racial representation and obscurity in book covers. Always on top of coursework, Jenny also taught a technical writing class to undergraduates as part of her GAship. Her capacity to teach benefitted Oolies who attended her design skills weekly workshops. Jenny arrived at Ooligan with a strong design background. These she honed, as she also grew strong management, editorial and marketing skills that make her an all-around exemplar of the Book Publishing program’s mission.

2018—Stephanie Argy

Stephanie is the current Digital Manager for Ooligan Press and has a background in film and journalism. Her craving for inventive narratives led her to the Book Publishing program at PSU, a program where she says, “I could have a digital playpen in which to learn, but I could also gain a grounding in traditional publishing and a powerful respect for literature and storytelling that a pure tech education wasn’t going to give me.”

As the manager of the Digital Department, Stephanie educates press members on the latest in digital publishing, maintains three websites, and oversees the ebook production process for Ooligan titles. But Stephanie is also a fearless innovator for emerging storytelling forms. Her latest initiative establishes an audiobook production program within Ooligan Press. She says that producing audiobooks will “broaden the scope of Ooligan” by introducing our titles to a new audience while collaborating with the Theater and the Sonic Arts and Music Production students and faculty for talent and production expertise.

2017—Leigh Thomas, Nicholas Shea, and Margaret Henry

Leigh Thomas is the Design Manager for Ooligan Press and recently took a position with Image Comics as a Print Manager. Leigh is among many alumni of the graduate program in Book Publishing to be hired by Image Comics since they moved to Portland last fall.

Nicholas Shea is the current Copy Chief for Ooligan Press and a freelance copyeditor with ECONorthwest. Though Nick will be graduating from the Book Publishing program this spring, he will be staying on at PSU to complete the Gender, Race, and Nations certificate program. Nick is dedicated to research and plans to publish an article he coauthored in the Researching Book Publishing class about which Big 5 publishing house is doing the best job of publishing diverse authors.

Margaret Henry is the Project Manager for Ooligan Press’s forthcoming young adult novel The Ocean in My Ears. Margaret is pursuing a dual degree with PSU’s MFA in creative writing, with a focus on personal nonfiction. In the midst of writing and rewriting for all of her MFA classes, Margaret finds time be a stellar Ooligan Press manager, which requires her to direct a wide variety of different types of activities, from writing and editing to marketing and sales.

2016—Dory Athey

Dory Athey is passionate about pursuing social equity and environmental vitality through storytelling and creative, emergent media. After she graduates in June with her Master of Arts degree in Book Publishing, Athey plans to work in the non-profit sector, thereby living her belief that storytelling can effect real change.

2015—Stephanie Podmore

Stephanie designed the covers for two recent Ooligan Press books: Untangling the Knot, an essay collection exploring the meaning of marriage equality for queer communities, and A Series of Small Maneuvers, Eliot Treichel’s forthcoming young adult novel, for which Stephanie is also the project manager.

2014—Sarah Currin-Moles

"My time in the book publishing program has given me a complete set of skills that will serve me well in any area of the publishing industry. I’m so grateful for my experiences in Ooligan Press and the lessons I’ve learned from the program’s experienced teachers, and it’s a real feather in my cap to be given this distinguished award, which will help communicate my abilities and my level of commitment to the professional world. I’m flattered to have my work recognized by the English Department and the university; being a part of the legacy of the book publishing program and of the Kellogg Awards themselves is a great honor." –Sarah

2013—Olivia Croom

"To have my graduate work singled out and recognized for the inaugural Dennis Stovall First Edition Award is a tremendous honor that has allowed me to stay involved in the area of publishing that I love the most: book design for small presses. Recognition of outstanding graduate work has significant practical potential; it tells people outside the academic world about the recipient’s work ethic and dedication. It is a huge step forward for the Publishing program to have such an accolade to give, and I hope to see it continue." –Olivia