ALPSP University Press Rising Star Award Winner, Alice Tradewell, Liverpool University Press, looks back at the Redux Conference.

In March, I attended my first ALPSP University Press Redux, where I was selected as one of three winners of the ALPSP UP Redux Rising Star Awards. As a Books Marketing Assistant at Liverpool University Press, this was my first conference where I had the opportunity to network, put names to faces and attend insightful, engaging talks. It was extra special to me as many of my colleagues from LUP were in attendance, because the conference was hosted in our very own Liverpool.

Arriving at the conference on an unusually warm and sunny March day, there was a wonderful, genuine excitement from attendees who had travelled from across the country and the globe. As someone early in their career, especially with it being my first conference, it was easy to feel nervous and intimidated by the talent and experience at the conference. However, this event displayed the solidarity between university presses at an extremely challenging time in the market and political climate. I came away feeling proud to be a part of a welcoming and mission-driven industry.

It was interesting to meet and attend sessions from individuals in UP-adjacent areas, such as distributors, bookshops, and Open Access organisations, as well as libraries. As the conference was held in my home city, I had another great opportunity to chair a plenary session on university libraries and their trends and priorities. The panel, made up of Matt Greenhall, Liz Jolly, and Toby Graham, gave insightful and intriguing presentations on their libraries, a key customer for university presses. This was followed by a lively discussion with the audience. As the chair, which I had noticed from the audience in other sessions, I understood that this was an important conversation to be a part of.

I particularly enjoyed meeting colleagues from across the Atlantic, who struck me as passionate, inspiring and undeterred by major, direct political threats from their administration. It is incredibly empowering to meet key figures in the industry, who have heaps of experience, still be enthusiastic and dynamic about what they do – even in the face of what feels like insurmountable challenges.

I was incredibly grateful and honoured to be awarded the Rising Star Award, alongside Edinburgh University Press colleagues Grace and Heather. It was an excellent conversation starter at the reception! It was also wonderful to see Bristol University Press Director, Alison Shaw, be awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award. Once again, it was heartening, and proves how UPs are such a close-knit community, never in competition, always seen uplifting one another.

Having graduated university in 2022, I have only ever known mostly remote work in my full-time career. Attending the conference meant I could chat to my fellow LUP colleagues and colleagues in other university presses, which is something that young people in the industry, especially those who entered after the pandemic, never really get to do. For me, this demonstrated the importance of in-person connection, and it was lovely to put names to faces.

The conference was expertly organised by ALPSP, and went off without a hitch - an amazing feat. The variety of talks, from big picture to more targeted discussions relevant to my department, made for a well-rounded conference. I learnt so much about the wider industry and how it works that I don’t often get to see in my day-to-day at assistant level, and it gave me a great context for how we can improve the academic publishing on a larger scale.

Reflecting on the conference after I returned home, it was a truly enriching experience, where I was able to connect with experienced colleagues, alongside those at a similar level to me, learn more about different areas of the industry I don’t encounter, and feel inspired, connected and welcomed by the wider UP community.