Welcome to Rufus Books
Rufus Books Publishing is an independent small press specialising in the creation of quality publications by poets primarily from Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Using the best papers and techniques that adhere to traditions of old as well as a view to the modern, transcendence of the word in its best possible expression into tangible book form is the focus and celebration of all our publications. As such, the artwork, graphic design, and printing are vital in the production of the unique books, chapbooks, and broadsides created by Rufus Books Publishing.
Recent & Forthcoming Titles
Molly, Etc.
SCOTT ELDER
"Scott Elder's small, seemingly slight poem, 'Your Neighbour Will Catch You', packs quite a punch. It is the matter-of-fact statement like the opening line 'The way is not clear' that pulls the reader into a sophisticated litany of imagery and rhetorical questions that juxtaposes against each other like pieces of a broken puzzle. It is once elegiac and fluid, each re-reading rendering another layer."
— Malika Booker
Uncertain Densities
IAIN BRITTON
"Uncertain Densities is a call to bring intimacy back into the act of observation, to touch the world — as Britton says — with our eyes. His exploration of touch doesn’t stop at the poems: the physical book itself is a delight to hold. The slight indent of the letterpress-printed title on the thick, textured handmade paper gives the impression that words are meant to be felt as well as read."
— Keziah Cho, The Indiependent
Stone Hours
JEREMY CLARKE
"Reading Jeremy Clarke's poems is like watching something emerge out of the consciousness of the street. The language too feels its way along: precise, tenderly inventive. The place is littered with stray voices and brief psalms — beautiful, tiny adjustments to the progress of the book. It is, in effect, a religious process, with its prayers and psalms and hymns, a kind of liturgy for the permanent in the fleeting." — George Szirtes
News & Notes
Offering a snapshot of most recent happenings, visit the News & Notes webpage for archived posts, or our social media for more.
Sackville, New Brunswick! We'll be moving in two stages, so stay tuned…
4 September 2026
What more is there to say? Plenty, but the gist is that Rufus Books will be moving from Toronto (or more accurately, the GTA) at the end of October, to our final destination of Sackville, New Brunswick in March 2027. Looks like we'll be close neighbours to the new digs of Gaspereau Press where most of our early books were printed. Such commotion!
B.C. artist Miles Lowry's ANAM (soul) inspires a new broadside production
29 August 2026
A project has been in the works to create a broadside using an image that artist Miles Lowry rendered using ink made with oak galls and acorns. There's a wonderful article in Amphora 187 (Spring 2021) that speaks to Lowry's journey and inspiration to create artworks using the Ogham alphabet. The image and a poem will be letterpress printed by Deborah Barnett.
Publisher Ágnes Cserháti is interviewed by Ed Bedford on Substack
18 August 2026
Q: So, was the focus on the physicality of what you were publishing always there from the beginning? A: Very much so. The sensuousness of the tactile book matters such a great deal to me. Imagination calls up the written word in various ways, but why not have a beautiful book as well?
Readings & Other Happenings
"I am only interested in poetry, which occurs more often in verse than in prose."
— John McGahern
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