November 2011 – August 2025
After fourteen years of working to accomplish an enormous, self-imposed task, and after having enjoyed an equal amount of dedication and support from many, the time has arrived to bring this venture to a proper transition.
With deep gratitude, I signed the merging document between Dalang Publishing and Cypress House, an award-winning independent publishing company located in Fort Bragg, California. Their titles include fiction, nonfiction, poetry, history, biography, memoirs, children’s books, art, and much more. They publish under three imprints: Cypress House, Lost Coast Press, and QED Press – Dalang Publishing will be its fourth.
Cynthia Frank, president of Cypress House, has “midwifed” Dalang’s last ten titles to book form. She was named one of Ten Outstanding Women of Independent Book Publishing by the Independent Book Publishers Association, in 2006. Dalang will benefit in numerous ways from Cynthia’s savvy expertise as a talented and successful publisher.
Tiffany Tsao, Ph.D., is a writer and literary translator (https://tiffanytsao.com/ ) who has graciously agreed to “keep the Dalang ball rolling.” She accepted the position of editor for Dalang and will continue where I’m leaving off: work as a liaison among Cynthia, Indonesian authors, translators, editors, cover and lay-out designers, academia, publishers, and the government to publish Indonesian work.
Gemah Rahardjo, director at Dalang Publishing, will remain on staff as an Indonesian liaison and short-story website administrator. Together, Tiffany and Gemah will bridge the language chasms that face all publishers of translated works.
Further, I’m grateful that this merger has the blessings and promised ongoing support from the Indonesian Consulate in San Francisco and several other Indonesian government entities, as well as many influential individuals in Indonesia.
The Dalang Publishing merger with Cypress House will be officially announced at the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association fall tradeshow, taking place in Spokane, Washington, September 28–30: https://www.pnba.org/fall-tradeshow.html
I am confident that the merger and new leadership will further expand Dalang’s horizons while providing Indonesian literature an even broader platform. Meanwhile, as long as the current “Dalang powers” will have me, I plan to stay on as an advisor.
My new position will be a big change for me! The bonus of being an owner was that any mistakes and financial consequences were mine alone. Now, as an advisor, my obligation shifts to ensuring that I make no missteps that impede the continued journey of a company that represents one of my life’s greatest endeavors. I take this responsibility seriously and with excitement for what is to come.
I’d like to take this opportunity to wholeheartedly thank everyone who has supported Dalang through its growing years and now is ready to extend their support to Dalang’s new masthead.
In closing, I’d like to share my thoughts as I prepare to release Dalang Publishing to its next manifestation.
At the onset of any “merge conversation,” I always stated clearly that I not only want the name Dalang Publishing to be secured, but also — and especially — I want Dalang Publishing to remain true to the sentiment I’ve applied in implementing Dalang’s mission from its inception: introduce Indonesia, through its literature, to the rest of the world, and enable Indonesian writers, translators, and designers to do so. Now, I further want to see Dalang become a spawning ground for Indonesian linguaphiles, to help set a bar for literary language and evoke a sense of nationalism and self-worth.
Asking myself what it would take to bring this to fruition, there is only one answer: a true sense of fierce nationalism.
Lian Gouw, Advisor, Dalang Publishing – dalangpublishing@gmail.com. 650-571-5429.
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