About

contact

For general correspondences, please write to Lucashwetzel at gmail. For anything regarding book submissions or publishing queries, write to Lwetzel@amuniversal.com

bio

Lucas Wetzel is a writer and editor from Kansas City, USA. He is currently a senior editor at Andrews McMeel Publishing, where he acquires and edits dozens of illustrated humor, poetry, children’s, and narrative nonfiction books each year, including several New York Times bestsellers. In 2020 he was named one of Publisher’s Weekly’s “Star Watch” honorees, a partnership between PW and Frankfurter Buchmesse that recognizes emerging professionals in publishing.

Before book editing he spent a decade in print and online syndication, editing dozens of newspaper cartoonists, columnists, and puzzle creators at Universal Press Syndicate (now Andrews McMeel Syndication).

A blogger and freelance writer for many years, Wetzel’s blog posts on local ephemera, pop culture, and various subjects have earned hundreds of thousands of views. He wrote a weekly arts and culture column for The Lawrence Journal-World and regional partners, and has contributed features, interviews, and columns for The Kansas City Star, The Pitch, and several other publications. His fiction and poetry have appeared in literary journals in New York, London, Berlin, and Kansas City.

From 2014-2016 he was a writer-in-residence and volunteer at the Charlotte Street Foundation, where he wrote artist profiles and published several solo and group publications. He received a commission from MoBank’s Artboards program for a public art display, and has helped curate, promote, and contribute to several group gallery shows. His interviews and criticism have appeared in KC Studio, 8.5×11, The Civilian, Midwest Arts Alliance and elsewhere.

In 2012, he and his wife, Jennifer, founded the literary website, Kawsmouth, which has published original writing, visual art, and photography from over 70 different contributors. A deluxe print decalogue edition is scheduled for 2023.

A graduate of the University of Kansas, he also studied at the universities of Bonn and Hamburg, and was briefly employed as a private language instructor and translator for businesses and civic organizations in Leipzig, Germany. Growing up he worked every Saturday at Bichelmeyer Meats in Kansas City, Kansas, the retail meat counter founded by his grandfather, John, in 1946. He has sold fireworks in Mississippi and kayaked the great lakes of Kansas.

Wetzel routinely consults on individual publishing projects and posts on this and other blogs sporadically. Mostly he works, goes for walks, and hangs out with his wife and two children. Drop him a line sometime. He’d love to hear from you.