Photo by Jason Keith.
A day in the life: Jessica Craig
Jessica Craig, the United States, founder of Craig Literary.
Jessica began her career in publishing more than twenty years ago in New York soon after graduating from Columbia. In 2005 she moved to Edinburgh to work at world-renowned independent publisher, Canongate Books, and later was a founding agent of United Agents in London. In 2016 she struck out on her own and founded Craig Literary in Barcelona.
9:00 am Usually I start my day by reading publishing news and new material from my authors or from prospective authors, with a pot of green tea. But, since the end of May when I started learning about the Trump Administration’s “zero tolerance” policy, I have been starting each day reading reports of human rights abuses committed by my government against immigrants and deciding how US citizens abroad can respond most effectively with activism. I recently created an action group in Barcelona and a coalition of international resistance: Families Belong Together International. In Barcelona in May and June we were the first US citizens outside the US to protest against the separation of young children from parents.
11:00 am My first cup of coffee. Soon after I walk down to the beach with my partner, who also works from home, and we go for a swim. This clears my head and readies me for my main battles as an international literary agent.
12:00–9:00 pm These are my main hours for fighting for my authors, but I handle anything urgent at any time of day. Most of my work is with editors or clients in the US or UK, so these are the best hours for emailing, calling clients, submitting my authors’ manuscripts and scheduling London or Frankfurt book fair meetings. My partner makes a delicious lunch that we eat together around 3:00 pm, and then my work resumes.
9:00 pm Sometimes in the evenings I attend a Democrats Abroad or Women’s March meeting, go to a concert, or I catch up with a friend. But, usually, I wind down at home with a glass of wine and read. If I don’t have urgent reading I may watch a film, an episode of The Wire or read one of the published books that are piled beside my bed as pleasure reading. Our whole apartment is like a library of books and music, an oasis of calm in an increasingly stormy world.
I know some Americans in Barcelona would rather not think about what is happening back in the US. And, I know some people in publishing think we should keep work separate from politics. But, I believe we are now living in a time when every one of us needs to decide what kind of world we want to live in, what kind of world we want for the next generation, and what each of us can do to make a difference. In a city as international as Barcelona, linked to the US through education and tourism, there is a lot we can do here to raise awareness and to make a positive impact. In my work as a literary agent of multicultural authors, many of whom are immigrants, I see my role as a champion of their voices as inextricably linked to my role as an activist for human rights.