Q. Where did the inspiration to start Publishing Genius come from?

A. I’ve been interested in publishing since fifth grade, when I made a knock-off Mad Magazine called Split with a classmate. We drew all these pictures and colored them in, and Mrs. Ormiston, our otherwise beastly teacher, photocopied them for us. That kicked off my do-it-yourself spirit, which included playing in bands and making zines and organizing guerilla theatre. Starting a press came naturally, though I was ignorant of pretty much every aspect of the business.

Q. If you already have your own publishing house, what do you think you’re gaining from the M.F.A. program?

A. The M.F.A. program really got everything going. IsReads started as a class assignment to conceptualize books in a different way, which got me wondering about what makes books work, what elements are really important? Plus, it’s great to hear what other students are learning. There’s so much to know about publishing, and in the M.F.A. program everyone is thinking about it. That’s invaluable. And Kendra Kopelke, the [program director], has the best attitude about work, which is: play. The M.F.A. program calls this combination of play and work “Plorking,” which of course sounds ridiculous. But as a guiding principle, it has encouraged not only all sorts of brilliant writing, but also a creative approach to being alive.

Q. How does your press reflect the concept of publishing for the 21st century?

A. The biggest change in publishing was facilitated by technology, but the change is not, specifically, technology. I mean, the iPad won’t have a tremendous impact on global reading habits. What has had an effect is the Internet, and how Web 2.0 has connected readers in a meaningful way. The existence of my press can be attributed solely to this: The Internet has created a community of people that care about innovative literature and are willing to spend a little bit of money on it. Because of that, I invest a lot of my energy electronically—but the writing and the reading is always organic. It’s important to me to reinforce that, which is why I publish IsReads by distributing poems on a piece of paper even while simultaneously making e-books.

LINKS

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• Learn more about Publishing Genius.
• Check out Robinson’s own work, Adam Robison and Other Poems.
• Read about Robinson in Poets & Writers and Baltimore magazines and in Publishers Weekly.