Gromagon Press  

In 2005, Kristy Tallman, one of the community of authors that had joined Gromagon Press as a contributor to the Poets Against Abuse Project suffered a terrible tragedy in her life. Her bright, talented teenage daughter, Ashlie Stell, was killed in car accident on the way to school. In addition to doing what we could to comfort Ashlie's family, we wanted to offer a legacy to echo what Ashlie might have brought to the world through her own creativity. Ash Phoenix Books was born, an imprint of our main publishing line that was designed to support young writers at the beginning of their careers. We published quality chapbooks for previously unpublished poets (taking no royalties and absorbing all expenses) to give them a boost from anonymity, and spread the word through our network about their talent.

In time, we turned Ash Phoenix Books over to Ashlie's mom, family and friends, to continue building into an independent press of their own.

The History of Ash Phoenix Books

Ash Phoenix was originally created by Malcolm Deeley. Malcolm stated in a press release on November 14th, 2006: "Gromagon Press is proud to announce the creation of a new division label, Ash Phoenix Books. This division of Gromagon Press is dedicated to the memory of Ashlie Stell, who died on November 28th, 2005, in a car accident on the way to Thomas Dale High School in Virginia. Ashlie's mother, author Kristy Tallman (who has also published under the pseudonym Rainey Moon), has been an active and outspoken voice in support of literacy, and for women and children seeking to work free from abusive home environments. She participated in the Gromagon Press benefit anthology Nox: Dark Poets Against Abuse. Her first novel, The All-Soul's Faire, was released in October 2006 to considerable critical acclaim. Ash Phoenix Books honors her daughter's memory, by giving an unusual level of support to poets in the beginning years of their careers."

Malcolm Deeley had to bring a close to APB, but instead of letting the dream fade, Kristy Tallman suggested passing the division over to her and myself, as our new publishing name. Malcolm agreed and we couldn't be more honored to bring this imprint to our company. We will continue with Malcolm's vision and place his words in every book printed by the Ash Phoenix imprint.

-Lauren Ferrell, Publisher

"Ash Phoenix Books are dedicated to the memory of Ashlie Stell, a young artist who died in November 2005. Had her early death not deprived us, her gifted hand and fiery spirit would have brought the world rich creations, which we will dream of in wonder, never forgetting."



Link to Ash Phoenix Books