Why “Liminal Corvid”?
lim-in-al (lim–uh-nl)
adjective
of, pertaining to, or situated at the threshold.
The world of publishing is changing. The power of large print houses to control access to readers has evaporated. All over the world, bright new minds with daring visions are bringing their stories directly to the public, empowered by rapid, high-quality print on demand (POD) service that matches anything produced by mainstream publishers. For the first time in history, readers themselves are the arbiters of good content – and their interests and tastes have proven to be broader and more diverse than anything the New York publishers had dreamed of.
We stand at the threshold between the old world of traditional publishing and a new world where anything is possible. As access to readers is democratized, the old definitions of genre bleed together. Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Mystery, Erotica – once separate, divided into distinct bookshelves in physical stores, these genres now have the freedom to blend and flow into one another, as authors follow where the story takes them. Stories cross the thresholds from one genre to another, one world to another, and in so doing they bring their readers to places they may never have dreamed of exploring.
cor-vid (kawr-vid)
noun
a bird of the crow family, Corvidae.
We have chosen the raven as the symbol of our publishing house. Ravens have been renowned throughout history for their cleverness and adaptability. They thrive in the midst of change, when other species’ ways of life are thrown into chaos – much as the publishing world has been today.
Mythologies around the world have paid honor to ravens. The Raven-god is a creator of worlds in many Native American cultures. He is a shapeshifter, able to take many forms, and a trickster, challenging expectations and provoking reflection. Ravens travel throughout the world to bring news to Odin, escort Celtic heroes into the Otherworld, and bear the Hindu god Shani aloft to bring his judgments on acts of good and evil.
Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore.
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door –
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door –
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.–Edgar Allen Poe, “The Raven”
From ancient myth to the writings of Poe, the raven has always been a paradox, a creature on the threshold between two worlds. It is the ingenuity, creativity, wisdom and adaptability of the raven that we wish to embody here at Liminal Corvid Press.