I established Bench Press when I decided to self-publish my memoir, Absolutely Delicious. The name didn’t come to me on a whim. I was brought up in a family of pun-meisters, and it had been in my mind for a long time. I was glad to put it to use.

The logo was created by Michael McPherson of McPherson & Company, and it perfectly captures the feeling that I wanted - a place of quiet, to sit in comfort and read. A well-worn park bench, and you’re the only one around.

I don’t have big plans for Bench Press, not immediately anyway, but I can easily imagine publishing other personal books in the future. For example, after participating in the first American expedition to Mount Everest, in 1963, my father wrote a book about it for children. Later in life, he wrote a biography of Timothy Leary, having had exposure to him in Los Angeles in the late 1950s. My mother wrote a lot of interesting poetry. It all deserves some attention.

Stay tuned.