An independent press allows editors to give continued attention to books “that may need a little more development,” she said. After years in the industry, “you see what the book can be when the writer has the ability to work at his wildest, fullest potential.”
Graywolf’s list includes acclaimed authors such as Carmen Maria Machado, Maggie Nelson, Percival Everett, and Diane Seuss. (Giménez’s own book “Be Recorder,” a National Book Award finalist in Poetry, was a Graywolf title.)
According to Suzi F. Garcia, one of Noemi Press’s new co-publishers, Giménez’s focus on growth and mentorship has been a hallmark of her career. “She’s looking for opportunities.” The first book Garcia acquired as a poetry editor — “Beast Meridian,” by Vanessa Angélica Villareal — earned the author a Whiting Award in 2019.
Giménez gave her space to continue the project, Garcia said, “but she wouldn’t let you fail, because she would support you all the time.”
Anthony Cody, another new co-publisher of Noemi, met Giménez ten years ago and considered her a mentor before joining her staff in 2017. “She really helped pull back the curtain and show people how publishing works,” he said, “and demystify some of what has been historically preserved.”
Giménez was born in New York and grew up in Maryland, New Jersey, Southern California, Mexico, and San Jose, California, where she attended high school and college. As a young person, she wanted to write fiction, “but because I’m so drawn to the detailed level of language, I ended up becoming a poet,” she said.
