The fonds consists of the business records created and/or collected by Lazara Press and its founder Penny Goldsmith, predominately from the early 1980s to the late 1990s. The records are loosely divided into two main categories: administrative and publication records. The administrative records contain material documenting the different functions of Lazara Press, including promotional/distribution information, financial records, memberships information, and correspondence Lazara Press had with other printing presses and booksellers in Canada and in Europe. Other administrative records include materials pertaining to projects Goldsmith was involved in, either as a representative of Lazara Press or of her own initiative.

The publication records contain material relating to the publication process of the various broadsheets, chapbooks, volumes of poetry, plays, short stories, and essays printed by Lazara Press. These records include drafts and manuscripts, layouts and prototypes, as well as the published editions of many of these works. Other records include correspondence between Lazara Press and various authors, contracts, promotional information, reviews, and distribution lists.

The fonds is divided into eleven series: Promotion and distribution; Lazara Press business records; Literary associations and publishing groups; Literary festivals and book fairs; Publishers; Editing + consulting; Penny Goldsmith articles; Other projects; Lazara published books; Broadsides and chapbooks; and Discussion series. The last three series are further divided into subseries, typically by author name but occasionally by the title of a publication.

Series contains textual records related to the administrative component of Lazara Press, mainly records related to its day to day business operations. Records include correspondence, financial information, notes, book rates, advertising, layouts, royalty information, tax information, labels, notes, book listings, loan agreements, orders and invoices, and a directory of bookstores and other companies Lazara Press conducted business with.

Series mainly contains textual records pertaining to works such as books of poetry, short stories, and plays published by Lazara Press in the early 1980s to the mid 2000s. These records include manuscripts and drafts and, in many cases, the final print edition of these works. Other records include correspondence, contracts, production information, reviews, promotion, and distribution information. The series also contains copies of manuscripts submitted to Lazara Press, but not published by Press. The photographs included in this series are typically images of the author and/or other images featured within the published edition of a work.

Subseries contains textual records related to the works of Helen Potrebenko published by Lazara Press, including <i>Two Years on the Muckamuck Line</i>, <i>Taxi</i>, <i>Riding Home and Other Poems</i>, <i>Letters to Maggie</i>, <i>Hey Waitress and Other Stories</i>, <i>Life, Love + Unions </i>, <i>Walking Slow</i>, and other unpublished chapbooks and collections of poems. Records include drafts and manuscripts, as well as the published editions of many of Potrebenko's works. Other records include correspondence, invoices, reviews and promotional information, distribution lists, and production records such as layouts and prototypes. The photographs in this subseries are images taken and/or selected to be featured in Potrebenko's published works.

Subseries contains a copy of Laurie Nerman's broadside <i>When Activism Stops</i> and correspondence.

Subseries contains textual records pertaining to Jack Anawak's "Who is Equal? The Passage of Nunavut's First Human Rights Act" publication in Lazara Press' Discussion Series. The subseries contains drafts of the publication, as well as the final copy. Other records include correspondence related to the chapbook.

Series includes projects that Goldsmith and/or authors associated with Lazara Press were involved in over the 1990s and 2000s. Textual records includes artwork, an interview transcript, order forms, correspondence, newspaper clippings, a keynote speech, a letter of agreement, and promotional material. The photographs in the file depict various events happening in the Downtown Eastside neighbourhood of Vancouver.

Series mainly contains textual records pertaining to the broadsheets and chapbooks published by Lazara Press predominately in the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s. These records include drafts of the broadsides or chapbooks, and, in many cases, the final print edition of these works. Other records includes correspondence, layouts, art, drafts, proofs, and receipts. The photographs included in this series are images featured in the published edition of the work associated with the photos.

Series contains textual records related to Lazara Press's <i>Discussion Series</i> publications. These publications are described on Lazara's website as being "a forum for provocative and challenging essays and speeches which address current issues of interest and concern". The series contains both drafts and final copies of each essay, as well as other records such as correspondence, contracts, distribution and cataloguing information, newspaper and magazine clippings, and court transcripts.

Subseries contains textual records related to Shelia Baxter's play titled <i>Death in a Dumpster: A Passion Play for the Homeless</i>. These records include correspondence, reviews and promotions of <i>Death in a Dumpster</i>, as well as records related to the production of the work. The file also contains copies of promotional material for other events happening in the Downtown Eastside. The photographs contained in this subseries are images featured in the <i>Death in a Dumpster</i> publication.

Subseries contains textual records pertaining to Jane Rule's "Detained at Customs" publication in Lazara Press' Discussion Series. This essay discusses the Little Sisters Bookstore vs Canadian Customs court cause in 1986. The subseries contains a copy of the published edition of the chapbook. Other records included in the subseries include newspaper and magazine clippings about Rule and/or her publication, correspondence, court transcripts, and Rule's obituary/celebration of life. The CD-ROM is a brief video clip depicting Margaret Atwood speaking about Rule after Rule's death in 2007.

Series contains textual records related to the promotion and/or distribution of Lazara Press publications. The records include flyers, order forms, correspondence, catalogues, media contacts, mailing lists, advertising rates, layouts, and documentation related to Poetry in Transit.

Subseries contains textual records pertaining to Ursula Franklin's "Every Tool Shapes the Task: Communities & the Information Highway" publication in Lazara Press' Discussion Series. The subseries contains drafts of the publication, as well as the final copy. Other records include correspondence, the contract between Franklin and Lazara Press, distribution information, and newsclippings.

Subseries contains textual records pertaining to Linda Hall Pinder's "The Carriers of No: After the Land Claims Trial" publication in Lazara Press' Discussion Series. The subseries contains drafts of the publication, as well as the final copy. Other records include correspondence, cataloguing information, and book catalogues.

Subseries contains textual records pertaining to Jacqueline Marcus' poetry chapbook titled <i>No Excuses</i>. The records include drafts of the chapbook, as well as the published edition, and copies of correspondence between Marcus and Lazara Press.

Subseries contains textual records related to Marusya Bociurkiw's work of poetry titled <i>Halfway to the East</i>. These records include drafts of the work, as well as copies of correspondence and the contract between Bociurkiw and Lazara Press. Other records include other copies of correspondence related to the work, reviews and promotions of <i>Halfway</i> and other poems by Bociurkiw, and records related to the production of the work. The subseries also contains a copy of Bociurkiw's poem "Radio Nights," both in English and in German.

Subseries contains two copies of Bociurkiw's poem titled <i>Not in my Name</i> and of her poem titled <i>Radio Nights</i>.