Normandy Press exists to develop new books, plays, translations, adaptations and educational material – and to foster creative imagination through theatre and storytelling. 

The name Normandy Press is inspired by our love of the region in the north of France, on a parallel with Cascadia (the Pacific Northwest), where we live. In Normandy, one can find presses that squeeze apples to produce cider, or the beautiful apple brandy native to the region of Calvados.

Our virtual press aspires to squeeze some equally delicious and life-affirming juice into our books, plays and translations.

Claire first experienced Normandy as a young woman, when traveling with Joseph Campbell (famed mythologist) on a seminar in search of the Holy Grail. The group’s first stop, on the way to visiting sites resonant with history and myth, was at a simple Norman farm, where the hosts welcomed the travelers with cheese from their Norman cows and many treats teased from their local apples. It was an indelible experience.

Arne and the children got to experience the earthy magic of Normandy on a family trip, years later. On the way to Mont St.-Michel, the family found the residents of Normandy welcoming and helpful at every turn. One turn included an impromptu visit to a farm in the region of Calvados, where we were graciously hosted by a family whose buildings dated back to the 15th century. And whose memories reached back to the Second World War, when an American soldier parachuted into their field and was taken in by their parents. He died in their home and, because his dogtags were missing, they were never able to contact his family.

But they welcomed our family, as if we had been his. With the name of our company, we honor this wonderful part of the world, the gracious people who live there, and the fertile ground of history and imagination that this region represents to us