As founder and Director of Whit Press, Claudia Mauro has devoted herself to nurturing and promoting literary work from our finest poets and storytellers. She publishes work from women writers, writers from ethnic, economic and social minorities, young writers, and first-time authors. Whit Press also pioneers collaborative publication projects in support of other nonprofit organizations dedicated to social and environmental justice. Before founding Whit Press, Mauro worked for nearly 20 years as a marine science tech and back-country pilot in support of private and public environmental projects in Alaska.
A poet and Hedgebrook alumna, Mauro has published two collections of poetry, Stealing Fire and Reading the River. She is also the editor of In Praise of Fertile Land and the upcoming In Praise of Trees and Forests. She is an active member of The Council of Literary Magazines and Presses, National Book Critics Circle and The Northwest Booksellers Association. She has also been a judge for the Lambda Book Awards. Her work appears in various journals throughout the Northwest, King County's Poetry on the Buses project, and as a permanent installation at The Seattle Public Library, Beacon Hill Branch.
"At a time when the mainstream media is promoting a barrage of cynical and divisive public discourse for profit, Whit Press is committed to creating books that transcend barriers of culture, race and class. Whit books are created to inspire and connect our lives—as individuals, communities, and global citizens."