When Aaron Talwar left a job in academic publishing and decided to launch Dark Coast Press, he changed more than his career path. The New Jersey native headed for the West Coast, setting up shop in Seattle, Wash.

After a visit and a lot of research, the 26-year-old entrepreneur was convinced Seattle was the right locale in which to base the independent press. "I really fell in love with the city," Talwar said. One persuasive piece of information was that four out of the last five years Seattle has ranked #1 in a study of "America's Most Literate Cities," conducted by Central Connecticut State University. (The study is based on six key indicators of literacy, including newspaper circulation, number of bookstores and library resources, in cities with a population of at least 250,000).

Talwar took the leap last year. While he was editing a book written by a friend, Jarret Middleton, the two decided to team up, and they launched Dark Coast Press in October. Middleton, the press's editor-in-chief, made the commitment to move from New Hampshire to Seattle sight unseen. "He took my word for it," said Talwar.

The book on which the duo collaborated, An Dantomine Eerly, is the company's first release (March 30). It's a reconception of the aisling (Gaelic for "dream vision"), an 18th-century poetic form, and follows Irish-American poet Dallin as he makes his passage into death. "It's inventive and creative," Talwar said. "We want it to be our calling card. Our whole approach is to make literary fiction, poetry, essays and avant-garde works accessible and approachable to the public."

Talwar and Middleton plan to put out 10 to 20 books a year, including a compilation of the best material from the site. They're looking to acquire two additional works to publish in 2010. Although they have no geographic stipulations, "it would be amazing if we could get a Pacific Northwest author," Talwar said.

Along with his role as publisher, Talwar is spearheading the company's marketing and sales efforts and has signed on with Ingram Publisher Services. For now he and Middleton are running the company out of the dining room in their shared two-bedroom apartment in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood. "As soon as we end our business day, we turn the lights off and move over to the living room. It's funny because when the lights go off we're not in the office anymore," joked Talwar.

The name Dark Coast Press is inspired by a line in Ezra Pound's Cantos: "Elpenor, how art thou come to this dark coast?" The literary inquiry could very well apply to Talwar, whose father is still questioning his son's choice of residence. "My family has had nothing but support for the press. But when I talk to my dad, he always asks when I'm moving home to New Jersey, and says that I probably don't like the rain in Seattle anymore," said Talwar.

Grey skies or not, Seattle has more than lived up to Talwar's expectations from both a professional and a personal standpoint. "There has been a positive response from the literary community here," he said. "People are extremely supportive, and the book culture is great. Outside of that, we have great lives and enjoy all the city has to offer." And as for the weather? "You don't have to shovel the rain."--Shannon McKenna Schmidt