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New! WONDERFUL BLACKIFUL PEOPLE: Bay Area Changemakers A to Z by the Blackiful Collective & d. Wright 64 pages, ISBN 978-1-945665-42-4, $16.95, 6 x 9 paperback, 26 full color illustrations, Biography/Art/San Francisco Bay Area History
Wonderful Blackiful People
celebrates the inspiring lives and works of 26
unique San Francisco Bay Area Black changemakers
including poets, artists, teachers, musicians,
activists, Black Panthers,
and public service workers, with accessible
biographies written by d. Wright and interpretive
portraits by the Blackiful Collective at Creativity
Explored art studio. Featuring musicians Fantastic
Negrito, Idris Ackamoor, and Pamela Z; poets Pat
Parker and QR Hand, Jr; Black Panthers Ericka Huggins
and Fredrika Newton; Marcus bookstore
founders/educators Dr. Raye & Julian Richardson;
Berkeley librarian Jim Jacobs; changemaking
organizations Mom 4 Housing and the Union of Sleeping
Car Porters; and many more fascinating individuals.
Educate yourself with interesting history and
accomplishments both current and historical + great
art!
The Blackiful Collective is a Black
neurodivergent artists collective that co-creates Black
social and aesthetic space at San Francisco's Creativity
Explored art studio and beyond. Blackiful empowers its
members to cultivate individual and collective
self-determination. Artist/writer d. Wright is interested in
the limits of language. Through drawing, installation, and
experiments in sound, d. explores what it is like, as
subject, to be regarded as object.
WHIPPER
SNAPPER NERD: Selections from the Zine edited by Harrell Fletcher & Elizabeth
Meyer, 200
pages, ISBN 978-1-945665-12-7, $15.95, 6 x
9, paperback, Art/Writing
FEARS OF YOUR LIFE by Michael Bernard Loggins, with a new Preface by Harrell Fletcher, 160 pages, ISBN 978-1-933149-61-5, $14.95, 6x9 Paperback, Humor/Art
This is the expanded 2nd edition of a book about scary things: all the things that you're afraid of. Everybody has fears in common, and in this wonderous handwritten book, author Michael Bernard Loggins (an adult with developmental disabilities) battles his fears by listing more than 138 of them. Loggins explores the depths of our most human emotion from real fears like "#53 Fear of Bats" and "#57 Fear of being different," to more complex, imagined fears like "#85 Fear that if you put too much toilet paper in the toilet bowl it will run over and get all over the floor and on you and on someone else too, it would leak from upstairs to the next floor below." This revised edition contains a new 60-page illustrated chapter of unique portraits, entitled "How Fearful Can You Be?" and in artist Harrell Fletcher's Preface, he explains the origins of Fears of Your Life and its lasting impact in its many manifestations.
Author Michael Bernard Loggins has written & illustrated two books. Fears of Your Life has been featured on NPR's This American Life, excerpted in Harper's magazine, turned into a multimedia dance performance choreographed by Kim Epifano and performed by AXIS Dance at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. This book also inspired musicians Aesop Rock, Kimya Dawson, and the band Dry Cleaning. He lives in San Francisco.
IMAGINATIONALLY: Michael's Lovable Fun of Dictionaries written and illustrated by Michael Bernard Loggins, 140 pages, ISBN 978-1-945665-09-7, $14.95, 6x9 paperback, Art
Have you ever felt terrifical? Has something recently tasted zincky? Maybe you live in troublemakerhood... Author Michael Bernard Loggins gives new meaning to familiar feelings in Imaginationally, an illustrated dictionary of the words he created to describe his daily experiences and thoughts.
From associalize (enjoying the company of other people) to zincky (when food is spoiled and nasty to eat), customized words are handwritten in alphabetical order with Loggins's own definitions, examples of how you would use them in a sentence, and hand-drawn illustrations. It's a totally original lexicon of funable and laughterful terms that you just might find yourself using soon.
New
edition! BURDEN OF ASHES by Justin Chin,
Foreword by Alexander Chee 196 pages, ISBN 978-1-945665-36-3,
$16.95, 5.5 x 8.5 paperback, LGBT/Asian American
Studies/Fiction/Memoir
"... An award-winning San
Francisco writer whose work has been celebrated for
its bold unconventionality, mixing humor with potent
political and personal themes..." — San
Francisco Chronicle
"Nothing short of phantasmagoric... disturbing if
Chin didn't seem so firmly in control of his language
and self, both of which emerge here luminously. " — Publishers
Weekly
Floating somewhere between fiction and memoir, Burden
of Ashes is a beautiful and brutal series of
short stories in which childhood, homeland, and lovers
both real and imagined succumb to whimsy,
revision, denial, and truthful embellishment. Chin
artfully creates a personal world where snake
killings, demonic possession, the enigmatic pleasure
of a deep kiss, cruelty, and compassion all co-exist.
Actual events and fictional outcomes reconcile what
has been lost, outgrown, and abandoned with what never
was and what might have been.
Justin Chin (1969-2015) was born in Malaysia,
raised and educated in Singapore, shipped to the U.S. by way
of Hawaii, and resided in San Francisco until his passing.
He was the author of seven books, including Gutted,
winner of the Publishing Triangle's Thom Gunn Award for
Poetry.
Alexander Chee is the bestselling author of Edinburgh
and The Queen of the Night, among other noteworthy
books. He most recently edited Best American Essays 2022.
The recipient of numerous prestigious awards and
fellowships, Chee is an associate professor of English and
Creative Writing at Dartmouth College.
JUSTIN
CHIN: SELECTED WORKS edited by
Jennifer Joseph, 160 pages, ISBN 978-1-933149-97-4, $15.95, 5.5 x
8.5, Paperback, poetry/fiction/memoir/anthology
With essays
from noted literary figures and close friends, this unique
collection of Chin's literary legacy curated from his 7
published books will serve as both a primer for those new
to his works, as well as a loving tribute by those who
knew him and his work best. Chin passed away at the end of
2015 at the age of 46.
98 WOUNDS by Justin Chin, 160 pages, ISBN 978-1-933149-57-8, $14.95, paperback Fiction Lambda Award Finalist!
"A short novel packed with wit, defiance, and desperation... at his most elegiac, he transforms a monstrous world into something lustrous and vulnerable. " -- Between the Lines
Through intertwined short stories, 98 Wounds dissects the inexorable dualities present in every moment that matters: pleasure and pain, contentment and longing, sacred and profane, living and dying. In between all of these, solace, understanding, and occasional regret-if not resolution-can be found. 98 Wounds takes the reader on a defiant road trip beset with contrition potholes and agitation detours to a place where absurdity and horror nestle comfortably together.
Justin Chin was born in Malaysia, raised and educated in Singapore, shipped to the US by way of Hawaii, and has resided in San Francisco for many years. He is the author of three books of poetry, all published by Manic D Press: Bite Hard (1997); Harmless Medicine (2001); and Gutted (2006), winner of the Publishing Triangle's Thom Gunn Award. Squeezed in between these were two non-fictions: Mongrel: Essays, Diatribes & Pranks (St. Martin's) and a memoir, Burden of Ashes (Alyson). Chin has also led a double life as a performance artist and his performances were documented in Attack of the Man-Eating Lotus Blossoms (Suspect Thoughts).
GUTTED by Justin Chin, 140
pages, ISBN 1-933149-07-8, $13.95, paperback Poetry
WINNER Thom Gunn Award for
Poetry + Lambda Award
Finalist
"Even as Chin's poems confront and try to comprehend death, they burst with urgent, vibrant life." - Out magazine
While trying to make sense of this ever-churning world, poet Justin Chin found himself traveling back and forth home to SE Asia - a region unnerved and raging with SARS and the Avian Flu - to help care for his father who had suddenly taken ill, all while dealing with his own health annoyances, and a looming U.S. citizenship test. At the beginning of this difficult period, he quietly vowed not to speak about his troubles until they had been suitably resolved. These poems mark the end of that resolution, and is a document of growing older, grief, loss, comfort and illness, and resolve. As ever, these poems are infected with Chin's screwy perspective, ever-defective grace, and scabrous humor.
HARMLESS MEDICINE by Justin Chin, 144 pages, ISBN 0-916397-72-6, $13.95 2002 Lambda Award Finalist! paperback Poetry
"Alongside personal explorations, Chin's poems take on the most rancid (and entrenched) attributes of contemporary life These critiques are vivid and defiant, yet poetically innovative and frequently playful." - Frigate
Fiercely devoted to the margins of life in the generation after the devastating first wave of the AIDS epidemic, this cathartic collection of poems explores illness, travel, contagion, the meaning of home, identity, tainted purity, and the bits of life that contain them and hold them together in spite of the harsh exigency of daily life. In more than 40 pieces, Chin fearlessly delivers everything from his first exposure to science ("Magnified") to a mail order fantasy experience ("I Buy Sea Monkeys"); from backroads travel in Asia ("Little Everest in Your Palm") to the plight of immigrants in America ("The Men's Restroom at the INS Building"). Chin's brutal honesty and sharp humor frame a profound and original collection.
BITE HARD by Justin Chin, 144 pages, ISBN 0-916397-47-5, $13.95 paperback Poetry
The first collection by award-winning performance artist/poet Justin Chin. In Bite Hard, Chin explores his identity as an Asian, a gay man, an artist, and a lover. He rails against both his own life experiences and society's limitations and stereotypes with scathing humor, bare-bones honesty, and unblinking detail. Whether addressing "what really goes on in the kitchen of Chinese restaurants" or a series of ex-boyfriends, all named Michael, Chin displays his remarkable emotional range and voice as a poet. His raw, incantatory, stream-of-consciousness poems confront issues of race, desire, and loss with a compelling urgency that reflects his work as in performance, speaking directly to an audience. Throughout this collection, Chin demonstrates his uncanny ability to convey thought-provoking viewpoints on a variety of controversial subjects. According to award-winning author R. Zamora Linmark, "He plugs the stage microphone into the page and lyrically blasts the heart of our fears, rage, and import-export nightmarish dreams."
MERCH
TABLE BLUES: A Novel by Peter Conners, 260 pages, ISBN 978-1-945665-31-8,
$16.95, 5.5 x 8.5 paperback, Fiction/Music/Pop
Culture/Mystery
"I like the idea of books that
you can play as if they were records. Narratives as
LPs. Merch Table Blues is meant to be played,
hard and loud—by which I mean, read and read again." —
Colin Fleming, author of [ ]: Fabula, Fantasy,
F**kery, Hope
"... A real page-turner and a great book!" — Mark
Pinkus, Rhino Records
When Virgil Frey gets an unexpected phone call from
his childhood best buddy, guitarist Richard Payne
Knight, urging him to join his band Laverna as a
roadie running the merch table on a small club tour
through New York state, he decides to go for it.
Virgil's current situation as a student in a graduate
school creative writing program kind of sucks, and
he's hoping this new adventure will spark some kind of
creative inspiration. While on tour, Virgil discovers
Laverna's growing popularity involves a cult-like
following that just might be a real cult, unexpected
hook-ups, odd disappearances, and band members
developing questionable habits. Can old friendships
survive tour chaos? Will the band get signed? Does
Virgil find the inspiration he's seeking? A fast-paced
read exploring ideas about loyalty, friendship, and
making things happen, for anyone who has ever thrown
caution to the wind in pursuit of good times...
Author Peter Conners has documented music and
counterculture communities in several books including Growing
Up Dead: The Hallucinated Confessions of a Teenage
Deadhead (Da Capo), and White Hand Society: The
Psychedelic Partnership of Timothy Leary & Allen
Ginsberg (City Lights), among other titles. He lives
in Rochester. NY, where he works as Publisher and Executive
Director of the literary press BOA Editions.
THE LURKING PLACE: A Novel by Clarence Major, 260 pages, ISBN 978-1-945665-28-8, $16.95, 5.5 x 8.5 paperback, Fiction
"...inspired...
a rich meditation..." —Publishers Weekly
"In this
subtle exploration of avocation and racial identity,
Major resists conventional narrative structure in
favor of taut, dialog-driven scenes that capture the
randomness of violence, the arbitrariness of
prejudice, and the poignancy of love." —Lucinda Roy,
author of The Freedom Race
"Clarence
Major's fiction has amazed me for years. This novel
captures the late sixties in subtle ways that we
seldom read. Major assumes the character of this
narrator completely and fully, giving himself at once
the narrative distance and fictive detachment required
to render this story with building tension and
expectancy. A wonderful addition to an already
substantial oeuvre.”
— Percival Everett, author of The Trees
"Vivid, canny, propulsive, and cool... endlessly engaging." – John Beckman, author of The Winter Zoo
WILE &
WING: Poems by Kimi Sugioka, 120 pages, ISBN 978-1-945665-18-9,
$14.95, 5.5 x 8.5 paperback, Poetry
“Kimi Sugioka is a poet with a
lot of guises: maternal, witchy, passionate, detached
observer... strong in her observance and power.”
— Anne Waldman, author of Trickster Feminism
“Sugioka's poems conjure like ancient spells... Wile
& Wing is a lyrical documentation of our histories
and myths, and beckons us to remember who we
are.” —MK Chavez, author of Dear Animal
Now in paperback! LEGENDS OF PUNK: Photos from the Vault by Rikki Ercoli, 128 pages, ISBN 978-1-933149-87-5, $15.95, 6 x 9 paperback, Music/Photography
“Gritty Legends
of Punk encompasses all that was great and real
about the NYC punk scene in the late ’70s...” – Chart
magazine
A visual feast of black-and-white portraits
capturing the most notorious rock'n'roll icons from the
punk/new wave era. In these never-before-seen live and
backstage photos, Sid Vicious is alive and sneering, the Red
Hot Chili Peppers barely have a tattoo between them, the
crowds are moshing, and the hairdos are tremendous. Sid
Vicious, PIL, Patti Smith, Blondie, Ramones, Clash, Stiv
Bators, DKs, Circle Jerks, Discharge, Misfits, X, Slits, Nuns,
Cramps, Lydia Lunch, and more.
Rikki Ercoli was a sort of yearbook photographer
at Rock'n'Roll High School during punk’s heyday in the ’70s
and ’80s., capturing music history as it was being made. He
lives in San Francisco.
45 THOUGHT CRIMES: New Writing by Lynn Breedlove, 96 pages, ISBN
978-1-945665-17-2,
$14.95, 5.5 x 8.5 paperback, LGBTQQIA / Current Events /
Poetry
“Breedlove harnesses the urgent
response to political iniquity like building a profane bonfire
and the heat will move us to swear, to sweat, to action.” —
Jewelle Gomez, The Gilda Stories
WINNER
- 2010 Lambda Literary Award
LYNNEE BREEDLOVE'S ONE FREAK SHOW by
Lynn Breedlove,
128 pages, ISBN 978-1-933149-32-5, $14.95,
paperback, Humor/LGBTQQIA
"Uninhibited humor lends tender insight and perspective to a gender politics debate that often takes place in a fiercely contentious atmosphere."- San Francisco Bay Times
Through the unusual vehicle of gender-bending comedy, Lynn Breedlove asks his audience, "Who truly owns and defines the body: self, family, or community?" Based on his critically acclaimed comedy performances, this laugh-out-loud collection of outrageous writing celebrates a lifelong defiance of categorization. With universal appeal, the distinctive humor in Lynnee Breedlove's One Freak Show delightfully enlightens while challenging societal norms about love, identity, and community.
Lynn Breedlove is known as lyricist and front thang for the queer punk band Tribe 8, and author of the speed-driven bike messenger novel, Godspeed. Winner of a Heritage Award for Creativity, Breedlove currently resides in the Bay Area.
MALLARME'S
FOR A TOMB OF ANATOLE: A Personal Translation by Jack Hirschman, 196 pages,
ISBN 978-1-945665-13-4,
$15.95, 5-1/2 x 8-1/2, paperback, Poetry/Art
ONLY DREAMING SKY: Poems by Jack Hirschman, 96 pages, ISBN 978-1-933149-13-4, $13.95, 6x9 paperback, Poetry
"Poetry is really a weapon. It's a
spiritual weapon for the transformation of the world. And, of
course, all my poems are love poems. The nicest thing in the
world is to propagandize for love." - Jack Hirschman
In this unique collection of new and selecteded work by San Francisco's Poet Laureate Jack Hirschman, a lighter, humorous side of the award-winning poet is revealed. Even in his most ardent political pieces, Hirschman's playful side shines through ("New World Odor"). Known for his commitment to social justice, Hirschman often frames ordinary urban moments with extraordinary clarity ("Folsom Prison Haiku"). Also included are acerbic reflections on the fall of Communism ("Red-Baiter"), tender memorials for friends ("The Day Bobby Kaufman Died"), and lyrical love poems ("A Woman's Darkness").
MDC
AL SCHVITZ: Double Life in Double Time by Alan Schultz, 192 pages, ISBN 978-1-945665-07-3, $16.95, 5-1/2 x
8-1/2, paperback, Memoir/Music/True Crime
MDC: MEMOIR FROM A DAMAGED
CIVILIZATION: Stories of Punk, Fear, and Redemption by Dave Dictor, 192 pages, ISBN 978-1-933149-98-1, $15.95, 5.5 x
8.5, Paperback, black+white photographs & flyers, memoir
“... a must-read.” – Jello Biafra
“1982’s Millions
of Dead Cops album represented a milestone in
radical politics and music.” —Steven Blush, American
Hardcore
INVISIBLE GIFTS:
Poems by Maw Shein Win,
120 pages, ISBN 978-1-945665-08-0,
$14.95, 5-1/2 x 8-1/2, paperback, Poetry
We Say NO!: A CHILD'S GUIDE TO RESISTANCE by John & Jana, 44 pages, ISBN 978-1-945665-06-6, $14.95, 6 x 9, Hardcover, Full color illustrations throughout! Pop Culture/Politics/Humor
When you've had enough of the biggies and maddies and meanies and bullies and baddies and grabbies and fools .... We Say NO! Form a smiling mob, help people feel safe — when we join together, our unique differences make us stronger.“In We Say NO! John & Jana’s wee playful anarchists return with a lovely and refreshing memo to their mates: Every rebellious NO! is also quite naturally an exquisite YES! No to war is yes to peace; no to hatred, an embracing yes to love; no to being labeled, sorted, measured, ranked, and judged, an empowering yes to one's own distinctive humanity an potential agency.’‘ —Bill Ayers
John Seven and Jana Christy's previous Manic D collaborations form the awesome Wee Rebel series for progressively-minded kids of all ages. These books have been translated into many languages, including Polish and Hebrew, and are used in children's education environments throughout the US.
GORILLA GARDENER: How to Help Nature Take
Over the World by John & Jana, 32 pages,
ISBN 978-1-945665-00-4, $16.95, 8
x 8, Hardcover, Full color illustrations throughout! Kids
/ Nature / Guerrilla Gardening
"You
can't argue with flowers! Gorilla Gardener
is a gorgeous, irreverent meditation about what happens
when we let nature — and hope — take over the world." -
Ali Benjamin, The Thing About Jellyfish
HAPPY PUNKS 1 2 3: A
Counting Book by John & Jana, 32 pages, ISBN
978-1-933149-67-7, $15.95, 8 x 10, Hardcover, Full color
illustrations throughout! Pop Culture/Humor/Music
"Happy
Punks 1 2 3 voices a belief that you can rebel, not
merely for the sake of rebellion, but for its own
constructive, creative purpose." - Matthue Roth, Electric
Literature
"To
call Happy Punks 1 2 3 'adorable' would be an
understatement. It tells us 'Welcome to Planet Earth!' and
'Here's some cool stuff you could do in life!' " - Teresa
Taylor, B*tthole Surfers
A RULE IS TO BREAK: A Child's
Guide to Anarchy by John & Jana, 44 pages, ISBN
978-1-933149-25-7, $14.95, 6 x 9, Hardcover, Full color
illustrations throughout! Pop Culture/Politics/Humor
"A Rule Is
To Break says: Go ahead and throw your best self a
party! So glad it exists." - Kristin Hersh, Throwing Muses
"A children's book on anarchy seems somehow just right: an instinctive, intuitive sense of fairness, community, and interdependence sits naturally enough with a desire for participatory democracy, self-determination, and peace and global justice." - Bill Ayers, author of Fugitive Days
Simply celebrating childhood: the joy, the wonder
of discovery, the spontaneity, and strong emotions. . . . Wild
Child is free to do as she pleases. A Rule Is To Break: A
Child's Guide to Anarchy follows Wild Child as she
learns about just being herself and how that translates into
kid autonomy. It presents the ideas of challenging societal
expectations and expressing yourself freely in kid-terms that
are both funny and thought provoking—it even functions as a
guidebook for adults to understand what it is to be a
critically thinking, creative individual.
John Seven and
Jana Christy's previous collaboration The Ocean Story
won Creative Child magazine's 2011 Creative Child
Award Seal of Excellence and was shortlisted for the 2012
Green Earth Book Award.
YOUR
GOLDEN SUN STILL SHINES: San Francisco Personal Histories &
Small Fictions edited by Denise
Sullivan, 160
pages, ISBN 978-1-945665-05-9, $15.95, 5.5 x 8.5, Paperback, San
Francisco/memoir/fiction/poetry
With writing by
San Francisco Poet Laureate Kim Shuck * SF Examiner
columnists Broke-Ass Stuart & Kelly Dessaint * Alvin
Orloff * Sylvia J. Martinez * Raluca Ioanid * Jorge Argueta *
Anna Maria Smith * Patsy Creedy * Dee Allen. * Tony Robles *
Norman Antonio Zelaya * Michael Koch * John Goins * Shizue
Seigel * Denise Sullivan * Lynell George * Don Skiles *
Barbara Stauffacher Solomon * Alice Elizabeth Rogoff *
Stefanie Doucette * E. Hagan * Peter Case
KAPOW!
POETRY & COMIX: A Minizine Anthology
edited by Juliette Torrez, 160 pages, ISBN 978-1-945665-01-1, $15.95, 5.5 x 8.5,
Paperback, Poetry/Fiction/Art
THE
UNSINKABLE BAMBI LAKE: A Fairy Tale Containing the Dish on
Cockettes, Punks, and Angels by Bambi
Lake & Alvin Orloff, Introduction by Exene Cervenka, 160 pages, ISBN
978-1-945665-02-8, $15.95, 5.5 x 8.5, Paperback, memoir
THE
ROOTS OF A THOUSAND EMBRACES: Dialogues
by Juan Felipe Herrera, 64 pages, ISBN 978-1-933149-96-7, $13.95, 5.5 x 8.5,
Paperback, poetry
43 MONSTERS words by Arthur Bradford & drawings by Chuck
Webster, 88
pages, ISBN 978-1-933149-92-9, $18.95, 9 x 6, Full-color
hardcover, art/children's
WOMEN STREET ARTISTS OF
LATIN AMERICA: Art Without Fear by
Rachel Cassandra & Lauren Gucik, 196 pages, ISBN 978-1-933149-91-2, $24.99, 8 x 8,
Full-color paperback, Art / Women's Studies / Latina Studies
LIVING QUARTERS: Poems by Adrienne Su, 96 pages, ISBN 978-1-933149-89-2, $14.95, 5.5 x 8.5,
Paperback, poetry
"Su's approach is risky in its sheer honesty and fierce by way of simplicity." - Cate Marvin, Ploughshares
In her third collection, award-winning poet Adrienne Su reflects deeply about the circumstances in which people are forced to remake themselves: as parents, as immigrants, as people whose marriages have ended, as people who've wound up in a place they never intended to settle.
SANCTUARY by Adrienne Su, 64 pages, ISBN
1-933149-06-X, $13.95, Paperback, Poetry/Women's Studies/Asian
Studies
In carefully crafted lines that are often humorous ("Asian Driver: The Sestina"), Su explores the risks that an individual encounters as a member of any community: a neighborhood, a family, a racial group, a gender, a parent. While many of these poems are about being a mother ("With Children"), Sanctuary is also about being the child of Chinese immigrants, for whom ambition is a lower priority than survival ("Escape from the Old Country").
PAINTING
THEIR PORTRAITS IN WINTER: Short Stories
by Myriam Gurba, 160 pages, ISBN 978-1-933149-90-5, $15.95, 5.5 x 8.5,
Paperback, fiction
WINNER - Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction
DAHLIA SEASON: Stories and a Novella by
Myriam Gurba, 190 pages, ISBN
978-1-933149-16-5, $14.95, 6x9 paperback, Fiction/LGBT
"... A fantastic book filled with stories of sexy badass girls we rarely get to see in literature." - Ali Liebegott
Chicana. Goth. Dykling. Desiree Garcia knows she's weird and a weirdo magnet. To extinguish her strangeness, her parents ship her to St Michael's Catholic School, then to Mexico, but neurology can't be snuffed out so easily: screwy brain chemistry holds the key to Desiree's madness. Combining the spark of Michelle Tea, the comic angst of Augusten Burroughs, and the warmth of Sandra Cisneros, Chicana author Myriam Gurba has created a territory all her own.
WET
RECKLESS by Cassandra Dallett, 128 pages, ISBN
978-1-933149-84-4, $14.95, 5.5 x 8.5, Paperback, Poetry
STEALING
CHERRIES by Marina Rubin, 96 pages, ISBN
978-1-933149-80-6, $14.95, 5.5 x 8.5, Paperback, Flash Fiction
MADHOUSE
FOG: a novel by Sean Carswell, 288 pages, ISBN
978-1-933149-75-2, $15.95, 5.5 x 8.5, Paperback, Fiction
also by Sean Carswell:
The funny and tragic story of one man's quest to figure out what to do with his life now that it's too late for him to die young.
After finding his girlfriend dead on the railroad tracks, Danny McGregor -- Flagstaff bartender and surfer without an ocean -- rides the next bus out of Arizona, fleeing to his Cocoa Beach, FL hometown, where a maelstrom of past ghosts await: his treacherous friend, Bart, finds Danny a job picking up corpses. Sophie, a former crazy girlfriend, wants to rekindle their relationship. Taylor, a twelve-year-old neighborhood girl, only wants Danny to teach her to surf. And then there's Helen, with a face that launched a dozen Greyhounds. Through the chaos, Danny discovers his strengths amid all his weaknesses and is able to move forward while making peace with his past.
HAIRDRESSER
ON FIRE: a novel by Daniel LeVesque, 192 pages, ISBN
978-1-933149-73-8, $15.95, 5.5 x 8.5, Paperback, Fiction
"Daniel LeVesque's tale mixes truth and absurdity until you don't know which wild way is up." - Michelle Tea
"Down, dirty,
funny, and glorious. LeVesque has an authentic eye for the
cracks all around us, but never misses the light shining
through them." - Beth Lisick
Meet Francis,
whose quirky childhood was marred by a strange religious cult
yet enhanced by the rock band KISS; his teen years spent
dawdling with daytime television talk show appearances and
weekend art classes, followed by a dubious career in a
soul-sucking business culture that values superficial beauty
over inner grace and character. Trapped by a vicious world in
which he just doesn’t fit, how will Francis ever escape to
find true fulfillment and follow his precious dreams?
Author Daniel
LeVesque is a recovering hairburner who does not participate
in the cult of beauty. His work has been published in numerous
anthologies and magazines, including Punk Globe. This
is his first novel. He lives in Oakland, California.
WOMEN OF THE UNDERGROUND: ART Cultural Innovators Speak for Themselves - interviews by Zora von Burden, 208 pages, ISBN 978-1-933149-33-2, $16.95, 5.5x8.5 paperback, Art/Women's Studies
Featuring interviews with: Marina Abramovic - Orlan - Penny Arcade - Babeth Mondini VanLoo - Irina Ionesco - Aleksandra Mir - Daria Nicolodi - Mars Tokyo - Anna Banana - Barbara Kruger - Lady Pink - Johanna Went - Tessa Hughes-Freeland - Litsa Spathi - Christina Augello - Michelle Handelman - The Guerrilla Girls - Liz McGrath - Lisa Petrucci - Christiane Cegavske - Jessica Joslin - Kaia Selene - Laurie Lipton - Ionat ZurrIn a series of twenty-four candid interviews with influential women artists, author Zora von Burden gives some of the most influential cultural innovators of this generation a voice, and probes the depths of how and why they broke through society's limitations to create works of outstanding measure. Among the artistic genres covered are painting, drawing, photography, performance, film, theatre, sculpture, and more.
WOMEN OF THE UNDERGROUND: MUSIC Cultural Innovators Speak for Themselves - interviews by Zora von Burden, 264 pages, ISBN 978-1-933149-19-6, $15.95, 5.5x8.5 paperback, Music/Women's Studies
Featuring interviews with: Marina Abramovic - Miss Mercy (GTOs) - Moe Tucker (Velvet Underground) - Nina Hagen - Lydia Lunch - Adele Bertei (The Contortions) - Cosey Fanni Tutti (Throbbing Gristle) - Jarboe (Swans) - Slymenstra (Gwar) - Patricia Morrison (Sisters of Mercy) - Teresa Nervosa (Butthole Surfers) - Ana da Silva (The Raincoats) - Kembra Pfahler (The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black) - Pam Tent (The Cockettes) - Pauline Black (The Selecter) - Laurie Anderson - Mary Huff (Southern Culture on the Skids) - Sean Yseult (White Zombie) - Phoebe Legere - Deanna Ashley (Frightwig)In a series of twenty candid interviews with influential women musicians, author Zora von Burden gives the forerunners of this generation a voice, and probes the depths of how and why they broke through society's limitations to create works of outstanding measure. Among the musical genres covered are rock, punk, goth, industrial, electronica, performance art, and more.
WHEN THE DRUMMING STOPS a novel by Steven Wishnia, 223 pages, ISBN
978-1-933149-66-0, $15, 5.5 x 8.5 Paperback, Fiction/Pop Culture
Bass player and rapidly
aging punk rocker Underend Vicodini is an unlikely hero. He
loves New York City like nobody's business but does it still
love him despite his lack of affluence and influence? His
former band, The Gutter Astronomers, was riding high in the
1980s, releasing albums and touring across the country but
the Great Recession finds the band members middle-aged and
struggling not to drown in the seas of gentrification and
disillusion. When lead singer Mickey gets an offer to
reunite the band, he jumps at it. But can the old bandmates
overcome their acrimonious break up? Can they get back into
it without shredding their lives? Can Underend Vicodini find
inner peace and, more importantly, a reasonably priced
apartment below 14th Street or in Brooklyn
?
Author Steven Wishnia is
a New York-based writer, journalist, and musician. He has
played in numerous bands, including the False Prophets. He
was a news editor at High Times magazine. Recipient
of two NYC Independent Press Association awards, his writing
nowadays appears often in Alternet.org and Junior
Scholastic. This is his first novel.
Flying machines, underwater submersibles, steam engines, and mechanical birds... imagine a whimsical world where science fiction and fantasy meet historical fashion fun where everything is powered by steam because electricity was never invented! Within these 64 pages, children of all ages will enjoy coloring and exploring adventurous activities in an imaginative world that never was. Fun for all ages, Victorian and up.
Author Phoebe Longhi, 16 years old, enjoys making Victorian dresses when she's not reading or drawing. She loves multiple places around the world, but resides in San Francisco because of the predictable weather.
TRANS/LOVE: Radical Sex, Love & Relationships Beyond the Gender Binary edited by Morty Diamond, 160 pages, ISBN 978-1-933149-56-1, $14.95, Paperback, LGBTQQI
"This is where sex and gender collide... if you think you already know what's in these stories, you're wrong. " - Patrick Califia, author of Sex Changes: The Politics of Transgenderism
FTM, MTF, thirdgender, genderqueer, and other non-traditional identities beyond traditional male and female are included in this often heartwarming, occasionally heartbreaking, truly groundbreaking anthology. From monogamous love, marriage, and parenting to anonymous sex and one-night hook-ups, these stories offer insight into the precarious emotional and practical mechanics of intimacy among gender-variant experiences.
Featuring contributions from award-winning authors including Julia Serano, Sassafras Lowery, and Max Valerio alongside outstanding new writing by Tribe 8 guitarist and acclaimed film director Silas Howard, activist Joelle Ruby Ryan, filmmaker Ashley Altadonna, SisterSpit alum Cooper Lee Bombardier, and many other unique and talented voices.
FROM
THE INSIDE OUT: Radical Gender Transformation, FTM and Beyond
edited by Morty Diamond,
168 pages, ISBN 0-916397-96-3, $13.95, Paperback, LGBT
Lambda Literary Award Finalist
/ American Library Association Stonewall Award nominee
"The many facets of this book sparkle like a jewel." - Leslie Feinberg, author of Transgender Warriors
Born female yet not identifying with that gender assignment, these writers illuminate the experiences of those who identify as FTM (female to male), and those whose gender is more fluid, genderqueer and thirdgender. Exploring many aspects of gender identity change, from dating to disclosure to family issues, these stories, essays, and poems offer heartfelt insight into the dynamics of identity politics and the definition of self. An eloquent tribute to diversity, From the Inside Out provides an amazing introduction for those who want to understand more transgender and gender-variant people. In addition, these moving narratives are invaluable tools for learning more about queer theory, gender politics, cultural studies, and transgender history. Although all born female, these writers prove that biology doesn't control destiny.
WHY AREN'T YOU SMILING? A Novel by Alvin Orloff, 176 pages, ISBN 978-1-933149-58-5, $14.95, Paperback, Fiction/GLBT
"Everyone knows that all you need is love. Alvin Orloff's swell new novel asks what to do when you want something more." - Daniel Handler
Growing up in the 1970s has never before been portrayed with such delightful ludicrousness and heartrending tenderness. When teenager Leonard decides to quit being a Dweeb and instead joins the Burnouts, his "good kid" persona is abandoned as he embarks on a comically painful journey of self-discovery through his unconventional friendship with Rick, an older Jesus freak barefoot hippie. The farcical parallel story of how Irving Mandelbaum from Los Angeles transmogrifies into rag-tag cult leader Rick of The Forever Family paints an indelible portrait of California during one of its most preposterous eras.
also by Alvin Orloff:
GUTTER BOYS: A Novel by Alvin Orloff, 224 pages, ISBN 0-916397-93-9, $13.95, Paperback, Fiction/GLBT
A twisted gay tale of unrequited love in Lower Manhattan in the early 1980s filled with scenes of humorous debauchery. Jeremy, a shy 19-year-old, falls madly in love with Colin, a disturbed yet well-read older hustler. Though Colin rejects Jeremy as a lover, he takes him on as a protégé, introducing him to the hilariously depraved world of new wave nightclubs and gay bars in the days before AIDS and the war on drugs. Innocent Jeremy, protected by the guardian spirits of his beloved dead grandmothers - one a fiery Jewish socialist, the other a proper British matron - becomes increasingly unstable under the strain of his unanswered devotion. When Jeremy finally snaps, he reaches an understanding with Colin that he never anticipated.
I MARRIED AN EARTHLING: A Novel by Alvin Orloff, 256 pages, ISBN 0-916397-64-5, $13.95, Paperback, Fiction/GLBT
In this rollicking send-up of traditional science fiction, Earth Studies professor Norvex 7 from the planet Zeeron decides to increase his university status by visiting Earth accompanied by Veeba 22, a chic hairdresser of the highest social order. Mistaken for evil villains and harmless frauds instead of the fabulous celebrities they are, Norvex ends up in San Francisco where all hell breaks loose when he crosses paths with the adolescent agony of Chester Julian, a gay Goth teenager acne. Part Jacqueline Susann romantasy, part cheesy Lost In Space episode, this gay comedy will delight any fan of pop culture literature.
15 WAYS TO STAY ALIVE by Daphne Gottlieb, 112 pages, ISBN 978-1-933149-52-3, $14.95, 5.5x8.5 paperback, Poetry Lambda Literary Award Finalist
Broken hearts, scattered dreams, postpunk politics, and postmodern cut-up collages spiral and flow through award-winning poet Daphne Gottlieb's latest collection. These startling new works explore survival after personal / communal disasters and the renewal that follows these tragedies. Whether she's writing about unanticipated outcomes ("After the Midway Ride Collapsed"), her mother's passing ("Somewhere, Over"), or absurd situations ("Preoccupation"), Gottlieb's deeply personal insights into the complex areas where life and contemporary culture collide offer readers a uniquely voiced, thought-provoking perspective.
Daphne Gottlieb is the award-winning author of seven books. She has performed her work and taught creative writing workshops throughout the U.S. She received her MFA from Mills College, and currently resides in San Francisco.
WALKING SHADOWS: A Novel Without Words by Neil Bousfield, 224 pages, ISBN 978-1-933149-29-5, $19.95, 6x9 hardcover, Graphic Novel/Art
In this uniquely beautiful wordless graphic novel, a working-class family struggles to make ends meet and raise their children in a relentless world of economic challenges. The story of Walking Shadows is told through 220 full-page woodcut engravings reminiscent of Frans Masereel and Lynd Ward. This book can be enjoyed both as graphic novel narrative and as an admirable work of art. Winner of the prestigious Rebecca Smith Award for Fine Art in the UK, this debut publication is unparalleled among modern works for its incredible visual details created in an uncommon medium, as well as the beauty of its deeply heartfelt narrative that speaks to common experience in these challenging economic times.
Author Neil Bousfield is a professional printmaker, animator, and teacher whose work has been exhibited throughout the UK. His engravings reflect his interest in social concerns and the use of visual art to convey a narrative story. This is his first book.
THE INTERNATIONAL HOMOSEXUAL CONSPIRACY by Larry-bob Roberts, 160 pages, ISBN 978-1-933149-42-4, $14.95, 5.5x8.5 paperback, LGBT/Humor ALA Stonewall Award Nominee
In this series of cultural polemics on an unexpected array of contemporary topics-from mistaken first impressions ("Presumed Hetero Unless Proven Gay") to sustainable yet unaffordable pants ("Socially Responsible Pants") to critiques of bourgeois mindsets ("Middle Class Writer")-author Larry-bob Roberts offers hilarious insight into the absurdities of modern life and queer culture. His humorous observations are destined to jostle readers' complacency and confirm their worst suspicions.
Author Larry-bob Roberts is into sparking culture, politics, and creating fusions between the two. Since 1989, he has been publishing in print and now online the zine, Holy Titclamps!
BANG DITTO by Amber Tamblyn, 128 pages, ISBN 978-1-933149-88-2, $14.95, paperback, Poetry/Performing Arts
"Punchy, spiky, and flush with a young writer's love of language, the collection often deglamourizes the acting business. A great find..."-Library Journal
Ever wondered what it's like to be a celebrated Hollywood actor from the age of eleven? With insightful, no BS, cards-on-the-table poetry that is quite serious yet has fun with metaphor, imagery, and language itself, author Amber Tamblyn gives readers a backstage pass to the show inside her mind. Whether she's describing real life info-gathering for a new prime time TV drama ("Role Research") or addressing the crossroads of public perception and private life ("Fell Off"), Amber Tamblyn reveals questions, answers, and more in Bang Ditto, wielding metaphors mercilessly in a wry and talented voice.
Author Amber Tamblyn is an Emmy and Golden Globe Award-nominated actor and poet. She came to fame on the soap opera General Hospital followed by starring roles on the television series Joan of Arcadia and The Unusuals. She has branched out into film roles, appearing in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and many other films. Winner of a Borders Choice Award for Breakout Writing, the author currently resides in New York.
Hardcover first edition signed by AMBER TAMBLYN - $25LILAC MINES: A Novel by Cheryl Klein, 352 pages, ISBN 978-1-933149-31-8, $15.95, 5.5x8.5 paperback, Fiction/LGBT
"Klein's characters are compelling, one and all."-San Diego Union-Tribune
Trendy hipster dyke Felix joins her stoic aunt Anna Lisa in a hardscrabble town in the Sierra foothills after being gay bashed, and explores the town's namesake mystery: the disappearance of 16-year-old Lilac Ambrose in 1899. A spellbinding narrative that's part history, part mystery, very contemporary... with a dash of magical realism thrown in for good measure.
Author Cheryl Klein is a shameless Angeleno, quiet pescatarian, and shameful tabloid reader. She lives in Los Angeles where she is West Coast director of Poets & Writers, Inc.
OPEN LETTER TO QUIET LIGHT by Francesca Lia Block, 128 pages, ISBN 978-1-933149-30-1, $16, 5.5x8.5 hardcover, Poetry
"[Francesca Lia Block] is the sorceress of iridescent language."-Kirkus Reviews
In this fiercely passionate and revealing cycle of narrative poems that read like a novella, Francesca Lia Block describes in fiery detail the rise and demise of a year-long love affair. Her rich use of language infused with the power of sex and spirit paint a transcendent, almost mythic, portrait of the way two wounded people-both searching for connection-find each other, collide, and eventually separate.
Francesca Lia Block is renowned for her groundbreaking literary works, including the best-selling Weetzie Bat. Her writing transports readers through the harsh landscapes of contemporary life to realms of the senses where love is a saving grace. She lives in Los Angeles.
Now in paperback! QUAKELAND by Francesca Lia Block, 198 pages, ISBN 978-1-945665-30-1, $16.95, 5.5x8.8 paperback, Fiction, cover by Irene Hardwicke Olivieri
"Block's characters can be stunning ... and at its best, her prose moves with a fluid originality ... Quakeland is not to be missed." -- San Francisco Chronicle
".. A solemn, sensual journey through the female interior landscape ..." -- Library Journal
After enduring from afar a seemingly endless series of outside worldwide disasters-including 9/11 and the Asian tsunami-while living in earthquake-prone Los Angeles, a bereft Katrina experiences deep inner longings for some sense of permanence, meaning, and intimacy. A preschool teacher contemplating the unsettling challenges of her mid-life, she finds solace in the company of her dear friend Grace, and conflict in the arms of a narcissistic yoga instructor, Jasper.
THE ASTROLOGY COOKBOOK: A Cosmic Guide to Feasts of Love by Stephanie Rosenbaum, 128 pages, ISBN 978-1-933149-26-4, $16.95, 8x5-1/2 paperback, Cooking/Astrology/Romance
"Cheeky and sexy, practical and mouth-watering; you may not be able to find all that in one astrological sign, but you can find it all in Stephanie Rosenbaum's addictive book." - Julie Powell, author of Julie & Julia
Hoping to woo a fickle Gemini or a larger-than-life
Leo? The Astrology Cookbook offers tempting menus geared
to the tastes of each sign, with clear, easy-to-follow recipes.
Whether you're an accomplished cook or a beginning baker,
Stephanie Rosenbaum's charming astrological insights combine with
lighthearted, delicious recipe ideas to please the palate and
create endless romance in the kitchen.
Stephanie Rosenbaum has been twice nominated for a
James Beard Journalism Award. The author of Honey: from
Flower to Table and Kids in the Kitchen: Fun Food,
Stephanie was also crowned Grand Champion in the Sebastopol
Gravenstein Apple Fair's Apple Pie Contest.
Italian American writers celebrate their hidden history in a literary tribute to fighting social injustice. This breakthrough anthology filled with thought-provoking works that focus on re-interpreting the mainstream tradition of glorifying Christopher Columbus, features new work by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Diane di Prima, Kim Addonizio, James Tracy, Michael Cirelli, Michael Parenti, Thomas Centolella, and many others.
2009 Lambda Literary Award Winner!
"There's nothing else in print like this amazing and courageous book."--Patrick Califia, Sex Changes: The Politics of Transgenderism
Intersex (For Lack of a Better Word) chronicles one person's search for self in a world obsessed with normal. In first-person prose as intimate as a diary, Thea Hillman redefines memoir in a series of compelling stories that take a no-holds-barred look at sex, gender, family, and community. Whether she's pondering quirky family tendencies, reflecting on "queerness", or recounting scintillating adventures in San Francisco's sex clubs, Hillman's brave and fierce vision for cultural and societal change shines through.
also by Thea Hillman
DEPENDING ON THE LIGHT by Thea Hillman, 144 pages, ISBN 0-916397-70-X, $13.95 paperback Fiction
"Thea Hillman looks way past the surface and into the intricate insides of love and sex, safety and identity, the pleasures and dangers of urban life. " -Carol Queen, PoMoSexuals
Depending on the Light contains 64 short works of smart sophisticated sudden fiction that erupt from a core of sharp urban observations. Her language is at once insightful yet pointed, her voice clear and urgent. Gritty compassion and wry humor permeate these short short stories, and Hillman's insatiable lust for life is everywhere evident.
Featuring more than 500 full-color photographs of artwork by over 350 artists from 28 countries, with work by Banksy, Jef Aerosol, Logan Hicks, Amy Rice, Adam5100, Arofish, M-City, SWOON, Hao, John Fekner, and many others. Written chapters offer the history of stencil artwork from 30,000 BC to the present, tips for creating stencil artwork, and lots more!
JUICY MOTHER 2: HOW THEY MET edited by Jennifer Camper, 160 pages, ISBN 978-1-933149-20-2, $14.95, 7x10 paperback, LGBT comix anthology
This exciting new comix collection examines LGBT life from new perspectives: homeboys in love, kids with queer parents, a superhero tranny, how Hothead met Chicken, and lots more. Perfect for sexual outlaws, gender pirates, and their friends and admirers...
Featuring new work by Alison Bechdel, Jennifer Camper, Robert Triptow, Tristan Cowan, Howard Cruse, Diane DiMassa, Jamaica Dyer, Michael Fahy, Lawrence Ferber, Fly, Leanne Franson, Katie Fricas, Chitra Ganesh, Justin Hall, Joan Hilty, Victor Hodge, David Hooper, G.B. Jones, David Kelly, Robert Kirby, Carrie McNinch, Erika Moen, Sara Rojo Parez, Karen Platt, Carlo Diego Quispe, Lawrence Schimel, Ariel Schrag, Serpilla, and Scott Treleaven.
THE RISE AND FALL OF THIRD LEG by Jon Longhi, 168 pages, ISBN 978-1-933149-17-2, $13.95, 6x9 paperback, Fiction, cover by R. Crumb
"Anyone who's an admirer of Richard Brautigan's unclassifiable Trout Fishing in America will be drawn to the eccentric, wandering vision of Longhi's prose." -San Francisco Bay Guardian
These side-splittingly funny short stories relive the twisted glory days of homegrown DIY punk rock, from "Road Trip," in which four benevolent urban skinheads venture forth to rural Montana for a friend's wedding, to the title novella, which follows the absurd trials and tribulations of a small-town Delaware punk band, Third Leg, as its dreams of superstardom get flushed away in a series of hilarious catastrophes.
also by Jon Longhi:
WAKE
UP AND SMELL THE BEER by Jon Longhi, 192 pages, ISBN
0-916397-83-1, $11.95, Paperback, Fiction, cover by R. Crumb
A fictional chronicle of a year in the underground counter-cultural life of a San Francisco guy during the 1990s: simultaneously hilarious, meaningful, and occasionally just plain gross. Dubious achievements including burping the alphabet backwards, keeping a dayjob at Last Laugh Book Distribution selling titles like Full Metal Genitalia, a blood-drenched wedding at Burning Man, and more will keep readers yowling with laughter at the absurdity, silliness, and occasional tragic meltdown that defines the outer edges of America's left coast.
FLASHBACKS AND PREMONITIONS stories by Jon Longhi, 162 pages, ISBN 0-916397-54-8, $11.95, Paperback, Fiction, Cover by R. Crumb
Flashbacks and Premonitions is populated by the entire spectrum of contemporary alternative culture: slackers, Goths, punks, hippies, and ravers. Surreal yet strangely realistic, Jon Longhi's carnival is a portrait of modern America in decline, a wasted human landscape choking on its own polluted broken dreams.
"A truly interesting current writer..." - SF Examiner
BRICKS AND ANCHORS stories by Jon Longhi, 128 pages, ISBN 0-916397-12-2, $8.95, Paperback, Fiction
Twenty-six weird tales from the underground,
ranging from one-page microbursts of energetic prose to longer,
finely wrought chronicles of post-punk living. Longhi's flair
for creating memorable characters and his distinctive voice
propel the reader forward toward the brink of insanity.
"Highly recommended!" --Maximum Rock'n'Roll
THE UNREASONABLE SLUG by Matt Cook, 84 pages, ISBN 978-1-933149-15-8, $13.95, 5.5x8.5 paperback, Poetry
"Cook's quirky and humorous style redefines the boundaries of poetic tradition." - Midwest Book Review
In this charmingly disarming third volume of unique narrative poetry, spoken word Slam champ Matt Cook tackles political opinions ("So Anti War"), courtship ("Duck Decoys"), and family ("The Mother of the Poet," "The Comet"), among other topics. His vision is that of the average-guy Midwest, observing life perceptively both globally ("China Readies Itself for Snow with Tough Talk") and locally ("The Woman Next Door").
also by Matt Cook:
EAVESDROP SOUP by Matt Cook, 80 pages, ISBN 1-933149-00-0, $13.95, Paperback,
Poetry
"Matt Cook's relentlessly spontaneous wit is savagely original." - Jeffrey McDaniel
In this outrageous second volume of distinctive poetry, spoken word Slam champ Matt Cook tackles science ("Static Electricity"), geography ("Pittsburgh"), and death ("Oblong Strongboxes"), among other topics. Observing life perceptively both globally ("Goat Transaction") and locally ("The Man Across the Street"), Cook's writing is smart and funny, with a subtext of serious social commentary.
IN THE SMALL OF MY BACKYARD by Matt
Cook, 96 pages, ISBN 0-916397-78-5,
$13.95 paperback, Poetry
"Hilarious..." - Rolling Stone
Spoken word artist Matt Cook tackles life perceptively in bars, his neighborhood, and at work. His poems are a shrewd blend of cracker-barrel philosopher and an over-caffeinated Groucho Marx. Quirky and humorous, his writing is perfect for people who think they hate poetry (and those who love it, too).THE BEATLES IN ROME 1965: Photographs by Marcello Geppetti, 44 pages, ISBN 978-1-933149-12-7, $12.95, hardcover, 6x9 paperback, Music/Photography
"Marcello Geppetti . . . found a startling new style of shooting celebrities that would change the nature of journalism and the public's relationship with the rich and famous." - David Schonauer, American Photo magazine
Originally published in Italy, this dynamic book captures the moment when the world's most adored and electrifying rock group entered the setting of Fellini's La Dolce Vita. All of the excitement, expectation, and romance of The Beatles in 1965 is caught by the camera of Italy's most famous celebrity photographer during the height of Rome's glamorous epoch, when everyone was fabulous and anything was possible.PET NOIR: An Illustrated Anthology of Strange but True Pet Crime Stories edited by Shannon O'Leary, 128 pages, ISBN 1-933149-11-6, $13.95, graphic novel, 7x9 paperback, True Crime / Pets
"Pet Noir is fantastic! The writing is clever, the artwork original, and the stories proving the old adage tht the truth is way stranger than fiction. I loved it!" -- Jane Weidlin, The Go-Go's
Putting the cat back in catastrophe, Pet Noir entertains and informs by turning traditional noir storytelling on its furry little ear. These illustrated talesexplore America's dark obsession with true crime by taking a darkly comedic approach while raising awareness about animal welfare. Featuring artwork by Andy Ristaino, MariNaomi, Mary Fleener, August Bournique, Lark Pien, and many others.
TOUGH LOVE: High School Confidential by Abby Denson, 144 pages, ISBN 1-933149-08-6, $12.95, Paperback, YA / Graphic Novel / GLBT Lulu-of-the-Year Winner
"Tough Love keeps a universal subject fresh with clean, appealing artwork and characters guaranteed to touch even the coldest heart." - Poppy Z. Brite
Inspired by shounen-ai manga - melodramatic Japanese comics by girls about gay boys - Tough Love is a teen romance and coming-out story about a shy boy named Brian. More realistic than Japanese manga, this story centers on the relationships Brian develops with Chris, the boy he likes, and Julie, the girl who befriends him. Serious issues like gay bashing, suicidal thoughts, and coming to terms with one's own sexual identity are depicted with an honest, gentle touch. Socially relevant, fun, immediately accessible, and a bit of a soap opera, teenagers who are questioning their sexual identity will appreciate this book, as will friends, teachers, and parents of gay teens. A resource guide for those seeking support and further information is included.
Abby Denson has been drawing and writing comics for XY magazine since 1996. Denson has also scripted comics for The Powerpuff Girls, The Simpsons, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Josie and the Pussycats. She has a BFA in Illustration from Parsons School of Design. She lives in Brooklyn.
What's all the fuss about The Killers? In this bio/photo documentary about the Las Vegas rock group that sold millions of its debut album, journalist Jarret Keene reveals the band's origins and how Brandon Flowers & Co. followed their dreams to become America's breakthrough musical sensation. Featuring dozens of never-before-published photos of The Killers, from their earliest club gigs to recent shows at sold-out arenas. An epic true story of the meteoric rise of one American band from garage to arena stage ...
Also by Jarret Keene:
MONSTER FASHION by Jarret Keene, 80 pages, ISBN 0-916397-77-7, $13.95, paperback Poetry cover illustration by Jack Kirby"Keene's book is not only intelligent and accessible but fun, a combination that is too rarely seen." -- Las Vegas Mercury
Pop culture meets and mates with poetic formalism: whether he's writing about Captain America, Godzilla, abandoned babies, or hangovers, Keene's work is unexpected, smart and funny. Where Wile E. Coyote pays homage to George Santayana...or is it the other way around?
THE UNDERGROUND GUIDE TO LAS VEGAS edited by Jarret Keene, 208 pages, ISBN 0-916397-99-8, $15.95, Paperback, Travel
The absolute lowdown on what and where in the neon desert's Sin City, whether you're here for a day, a week, or the rest of your life. Avoid the Strip's cheesy pitfalls: enjoy cheap and tasty eats, existential dive bars, loud and nasty bands, thrift stores, pawn shops, awesome gambling odds, and Vegas's best transsexual strip club. For hangover recovery, discover some of the most relaxing spas and breathtaking outdoors the West has to offer.
ABOLISHING CHRISTIANITY and Other Essays by Jonathan Swift, 128 pages, ISBN 1-933149-03-5, $13.95, paperback Fiction
In this compendium of 11 outrageous essays and commentaries by the English language's greatest satirist, Swift reflects on the absurdity of organized religion, classical vs. modern literature, digressions, astrological predictions, and a host of other tantalizing topics. His classic tale, A Modest Proposal, which suggests solving the hunger problem by eating children, is also included.FAST FORWARD: Confessions of a Porn Screenwriter by Eric Spitznagel, 216 pages, ISBN 1-933149-05-1, $13.95, Paperback, Memoir/Film Studies. Future Tense series, edited by Kevin Sampsell.
Like so many writers before him, Eric Spitznagel moves to Los Angeles with dreams of becoming a highly paid and respected screenwriter. When Hollywood fails to notice, he settles for the next best thing: writing scripts for adult films. Determined to make the most of it, he sets out to write a movie that will be celebrated more for its witty dialogue and gripping plot than its depictions of hardcore sex. As he soon discovers, making the Great American Porn is far from easy, especially when you've been hired to write a sequel to Butt Crazy.
"Like most pornography, I found Fast Forward to be a relentless and indecent assault on the traditional family values that Americans find most sacred. Makes a great stocking stuffer." - Amy Sedaris
THE HASHISH MAN and Other Stories by Lord Dunsany, 160 pages, ISBN 1-933149-04-3, $13.95, paperback, Fiction
In this collection of 25 short stories, one of the
original masters of early 20th century science fiction and fantasy
is introduced to a new generation of readers. Often cited as a
major influence on J.R.R. Tolkien and H.P. Lovecraft, Dunsany's
work continues to delight and intrigue whether he is weaving
fanciful tales of strange adventure in imaginary exotic locales,
or depicting grim and creepy visions of otherworldliness.
Lord Dunsany, Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany (24 July 1878 – 25 October 1957) was an Irish writer and dramatist, notable for his work, mostly in fantasy, published under the name Lord Dunsany. More than eighty books of his work were published, and his oeuvre includes many hundreds of published short stories, as well as successful plays, novels and essays.
THE INSOMNIAC READER: Stories of the Night edited by Kevin Sampsell, 255 pages, ISBN 0-916397-94-7, $13.95, Paperback, Fiction A Future Tense Book
Explore the dark side - literally and figuratively - of evening time with astonishing short fiction by Jonathan Ames, Todd Pruzan, Rick Moody, Richard Rushfield, Elizabeth Ellen, Davy Rothbart , Jonathan Lethem, T. Cooper, Monica Drake, Aimee Bender, Jeff Johnson, James Tate, Thorn Kief Hillsbery, Heidi Julavits, Michelle Tea, Dan Kennedy, Stacey Richter, Marshall Moore, and Lucy Thomas. Each adventure - every action and choice - leads to unexpected situations... or tragedies. Long after nightfall, America's best contemporary writers shine their flashlights into a world that begins around the time when most people fall asleep.
A superb exploration of inner city America told from the perspective of an African-American young man in short poetic prose pieces. Hypnotic and scary, just as you think you're reaching the end of a piece and that you understood it, Jackson twists the knife 90 degrees and exposes a point of view that catches you unawares, then he's through your defenses and into your heart.
Author Bruce Jackson has lived in Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and currently resides in Seattle where he works with troubled children in a public elementary school.
GRAVEYARD GOLF and Other Stories by Vampyre Mike Kassel, 64 pages, ISBN 0-916397-15-7, $7.95, paperback Fiction, cover illustration by S. Clay Wilson
"A total f*ckin' laugh riot..." -- Your Flesh magazine
Drunk house painters, guys playing golf in a graveyard at midnight, Euripides made incomprehensible: Kassel writes up a storm in this collection of hysterical short stories.
THE GHASTLY ONES and Other Fiendish Frolics by Richard Sala, 96 pages, ISBN 0-916397-40-8, $9.95, paperback Graphic Novel
The Ghastly Ones and Other Fiendish Frolics follows in the grand and ghoulish tradition of Edward Gorey and Charles Addams in a delightfully gruesome and fanciful, tongue-in-cheek look at maniacs, monsters, and mayhem. Creeping through the pages are lurking beasties, axe-swinging psychos, and pouncing bloodsuckers - each one described in darkly witty verse and captured in Sala's fine, quirky drawing style.
COLOR
ME ARNOLD: The Unofficial Arnold Schwarzenegger Coloring and
Activity Book by Conor Buckley &
Lawrence Gipe, 64
pages, ISBN 0-916397-98-X, $9.95, Paperback, Humor/Politics
Whether you love Arnold or hate him, you have to wonder how an Austrian action-hero movie star / former Mr. Universe got elected governor of the most populous state in the U.S. without any experience that would qualify him for the job. Connect the dots to find Arnold groping a nearby female, draw a picture of yourself between Arnold and George W. Bush, color in the governor as Conan the Barbarian, drive a Hummer through a maze from Hollywood to Sacramento, and more. Great drawings, hilarious real quotes that we couldn't make up if we tried!
COTTONMOUTH KISSES by Clint Catalyst, 160 pages, ISBN 0-916397-65-3, $14.95, Fiction
"Clint Catalyst has the magical knack for turning the most ethereal of thoughts and feelings into tangible imagery. He creates beauty with an original hybrid of brutality and love that takes my brain to its favorite place." - Anthony Kiedis, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Whether he's writing about a chance sexual encounter at a Goth club called Lilith or revealing the inner thoughts of young hustlers in Hollywood, Catalyst unearths the trashy truth in his characters' unconventional lives.
THE BEAUTIFUL: Collected
Poems by Michelle Tea, 228 pages, ISBN 0-916397-89-0, $14.95, Paperback,
Poetry/LGBT Studies
"... A humanist poet who sees the world from a very personal perspective." -- SF Chronicle
Award-winning author Michelle Tea ran away to San Francisco's queer and literary scenes in the early '90s, finding a home on the stages of various open mic venues. She self-published a steady stream of very limited edition photocopied poetry chapbooks, all of which are available together in a single volume for the first time in The Beautiful. In these tender yet tough contemplations, Tea welcomes the reader to explore her innermost passions, devoid of pretense or assumption. Previously unpublished works, including the title poem, are also included in this stunning collection.
PO MAN'S CHILD: A Novel by Marci Blackman, 240 pages, ISBN 0-916397-59-9 $12.95 paperback Fiction/Lesbian Studies
WINNER of the American Library Association GLBT
Award for Literature and the Firecracker Book Award for
Fiction
A selection of the Quality Paperback Book Club
After sustaining a serious injury during an S/M scene, Po Childs checks herself into a psychiatric hospital where she recalls her life's most memorable incidents and unconventional relatives. After a poignant exploration of her family's curses and blessings, Po allows the healing process to begin.
THE MILITARY DRAFT HANDBOOK: A Brief History and Practical Advice for the Curious and Concerned edited by James Tracy, 128 pages, ISBN 1-933149-01-9, $12, Paperback, Current Affairs/Politics/Education
Written in a concise, easily accessible manner, The Military Draft Handbook outlines the history of conscription, how it has been resisted in previous eras, and exposes the "social justice" argument being used by some draft proponents. Full of plainspoken analysis and useful information about Conscientious Objection, Counter-Recruitment activism, and more, readers will be armed with the knowledge and organization needed to form a timely defense against forced conscription. An essential resource for young people, parents, activists, and educators alike.
also edited by James Tracy:
THE CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE HANDBOOK: A Brief History and Practical Advice for the Politically Disenchanted edited by James Tracy, 96 pages, ISBN 0-916397-76-9, $10 paperback History/Current Events
Non-violent civil disobedience is an American tradition, an essential element of a working democracy. From the Bill of Rights to contemporary direct action tactics utilized by the Ruckus Society, this handbook outlines a brief history of social protest. Helpful resources and handy information are included, as well as tips on everything from getting arrested to manipulating the media.MOLOTOV MOUTHS: Explosive New Writing by James Tracy, Raw Knowledge, George Tirado, Leroy Moore, Ananda Esteva, Dani Montgomery, and Josiah Luis Aldrete, 144 pages, ISBN 0-916397-87-4, $13.95 Paperback, Literature / Current Affairs & Politics
The Molotov Mouths Outspoken Word Troupe has a simple mission: social justice. Without slogans or dogma, these seven authors have created an original literary manifesto of progressive ideas. Passionate stories about gentrification, discrimination, and identity politics unite with heartfelt poems exploring poverty, race and disability that positively shine with subversive solidarity.
GOOD ADVICE FOR YOUNG TRENDY PEOPLE OF ALL AGES, edited by Jennifer Blowdryer, 144 pages, ISBN 1-933149-02-7, $15, Paperback, Pop Culture/Self-Help
"Even if you think you've got it all together this collection will help you scam a better scam, work a deeper style, and become a more gracious human being." - Michelle Tea
Compiled by a veteran of the underground after spending 30 years in the alternative art trenches, these experiential, very real commentaries from today's underground luminaries offer honest and humorous advice on everything from "Door Etiquette for the Nightlife-Challenged" by Clint Catalyst to "How to be an Art Star" by downtown NYC scenester Reverend Jen. Without a hint of irony, Good Advice for Young Trendy People of All Ages shows would-be bohemians how things really are ("How to Live in Debt" by Mykel Board), instead of selling far-fetched dreams of writing the great novel or producing a top gallery show.
SOME ANGELS WEAR BLACK: Selected Poems by Eli Coppola, Introduction by Michelle Tea, 160 pages, ISBN 0-916397-71-8, $13.95, Paperback, Poetry
Narrative poems with straightforward, feisty
sensibilities confront the difficulties and rewards of love:
what one goes through to love and be loved. Social injustice
("Jury Duty") and mortality ("Casual Hands, Brutal Stars, Past
Things") are recurrent themes, but love is always the driving
force. Often funny, with a subtle sting, Coppola's heartfelt
writing reveals an unrelenting, courageous struggle with a
progressive disabling disease ("Enlightenment and Muscular
Dystrophy").
INTELLIGENT JOKES compiled by Sion Rubi, 128 pages, ISBN 0-916397-97-1, $11.95, Paperback, Humor
A man tells his wife, "You know, I don't feel like going to the Robinsons' party."
She replies, "I don't feel like going either, but imagine how happy they'll be if we don't go."
With so many remarkably unfunny things going on in the world today, everyone desperately needs to laugh just to relieve the tension of everyday life. In fact, laughter, along with an active sense of humor, may help protect against a heart attack, according to a recent study by cardiologists. In the interest of restoring mental and physical health in the general population, Intelligent Jokes appeals to clever readers looking for more than a rudimentary punchline. Lovers of "shaggy dog stories", as well as those who appreciate witty insights into personal relationships, send-ups of human folly, and our preoccupation with sex, will find these amusing jokes enormously entertaining.
MADNESS AND RETRIBUTION: Poems by Juliette Torrez, 80 pages, ISBN 0-916397-95-5, $12.95, Paperback, Poetry. Cover painting by Mark Ryden.
"I wish I spoke my tribal language so I would know if there was a word that meant 'magic energy'. But let's imagine I speak the language, and that there is such a word, and that I could only describe Juliette's poetry with that word. Read this book and you'll want to make up words of your own." - Sherman AlexieTravel a picturesque and often harrowing road through these narrative poems to encounter the quiet survivors and overlooked places fallen through the cracks in the American Dream. Meet a battered wife wearing a celebratory dress to her husband's funeral ("The Red Dress") and a fed-up woman who shoots a complaining nonsmoker at Denny's ("Mother of Four"). With empathy for the human condition, Juliette Torrez captures the absurdity, hypocrisy, and ultimately the beauty of the places and people she has known.
IT'S ALL GOOD: How Do You Like It Here Now? edited by Jennifer Joseph & Wendy Shimamura, 144 pages, ISBN 0-916397-85-8, $11.95, Paperback, Fiction/Poetry/Comix
Hard-hitting stories, accessible poems, and hair-raising comix answer the question of millennial ennui in the wake of economic crashes, Zoloft for breakfats, and governmental insanity. This lively collection contains fresh work by more than 40 cutting-edge writers and artists: sordid tales of lousy employment and nutty families; curious poems about a cop with diarrhea and a condom-eating cat; ill-fated love stories; and punk rock comix are among the eclectic mix of eccentric offerings. Outstanding writers from every region of the US are featured in this celebration of human spirit and good ol' American originality.
CONCRETE DREAMS: Manic D Press Early Works edited by Jennifer Joseph, 224 pages, ISBN 0-916397-75-0, $15 paperback Fiction / Poetry
Between 1989 and 1994, Manic D Press produced more than a dozen 20-page photocopied and stapled books of fiction and poetry by some of the most talented young writers from the Bay Area and beyond. Collected for the first time in a single trade paperback edition, this archival volume includes rare works by twelve authors including Jon Longhi, Wendy-o Matik, Jorge Argueta, Lisa Radon, Jerry D. Miley, Nancy Depper, David Jewell, Sparrow 13, and Bucky Sinister.
IN ME OWN WORDS: The
Autobiography of Bigfoot written and
illustrated by Graham Roumieu, 44 pages,
ISBN 0-916397-84-X, $12.95, Full color hardcover Humor A Manic D
Bestseller!
North America's favorite crypto-zoological homonid
recast as the modern day everyman bravely struggling with casual
cannabalism, eating disorders, pop culture and philosophical
quandaries. Absolutely hilarious - a total laugh riot!
"Brilliantly funny..." - San Francisco Chronicle
THE SPLINTER FACTORY by Jeffrey McDaniel, 80 pages, ISBN 0-916397-79-3, $13.95 paperback Poetry
"One of the best young poets on the planet..." -- Thomas Lux
Whether Jeffrey
McDaniel's denouncing insomnia ("4,000 A.M."), exploring family
tragedy ("Ghost Townhouse"), or celebrating love and lust ("The
Biology of Numbers"), his writing is so profoundly original, so
funny, twisted, and literary simultaneously, you won't know
whether to laugh or cry, but you'll definitely keep reading.
Also by Jeffrey McDaniel:
THE FORGIVENESS PARADE by Jeffrey McDaniel, 80 pages, ISBN 0-916397-55-6, $13.95 paperback Poetry
"Heartbreaking and hilarious simultaneously... " - James Tate
In Jeffrey McDaniel's second book, it is hard to separate the humor from the pain. Both qualities are omnipresent whether he's tackling dysfunctional family memories in 'The Most Awful Lullaby', or broken-hearted romance in poems like 'Another Long Day in the Office of Dreams'.
ALIBI SCHOOL by Jeffrey McDaniel, 80 pages, ISBN 0-916397-38-6, $13.95 paperback Poetry
"It takes genius to transcend the boring factionalism of U.S. poetry and that's what Jeffrey McDaniel's got: his affiliation is to the imagination. Fresh, provocative, non-doctrinaire, his poems are the kind I want to grow up to write." -Bill Knott, author of Outremer
"In Alibi School, Jeffrey McDaniel rips the country's skull out, and says 'Alas, you poor slobbering sham of a place, screaming at you doesn't work, I shall explode your lies with concentrated metaphors...' " -- Bob Holman
WALKING BAREFOOT IN THE GLASSBLOWERS MUSEUM by Ellyn Maybe, 80 pages, ISBN 0-916397-80-7, $13.95 paperback Poetry
"One of the coolest poets you'll ever read - she's magic." - Henry Rollins
Chosen as one of the "Top 10 Poets to Watch in the Millennium" by Writers Digest
Earnest and confessional in the best sense, Maybe's poems about self and vulnerability reveal her beliefs in family, love, identity, and anti-establishment idealism. Her uncanny ability to pivot at multiple places within a poem, using surprising observations and control of language, wraps beauty and purity around her day-to-day experiences.
WINNER of the
2002 FIRECRACKER AWARD for FICTION
THIS TOO CAN BE YOURS by Beth Lisick, 144 pages,
ISBN 0-916397-73-4, $14.95 paperback Fiction
"She transforms the mundane into comic-absurd revelations on the human experience." -- SF Weekly
In this wholly unpredictable collection of
tongue-in-chic short stories, Beth Lisick casts a cool eye on the
lost and living dead of offices, nightclubs, shopping malls, and
rent-controlled apartments. Pretentious web designers, reality
show wannabes, and hipster party girls are among the characters
populating a seemingly ordinary world teetering on the brink of
chaos.
Beth Lisick is the author of two bestsellers, Everybody Into the Pool and Helping Me Help Myself, and
is the co-founder of the Porchlight storytelling series. Her first
book was Monkey Girl,
this is her second.
MONKEY GIRL by Beth Lisick 128 pages, ISBN 0-916397-49-1, $11.95 paperback Fiction
In her first collection of short stories, celebrated spoken-word artist Beth Lisick evokes the rollicking world of post-boom America.
KING OF THE ROADKILLS by Bucky Sinister, 160 pages, ISBN 0-916397-37-8, $9.95, paperback, Poetry/Fiction. Cover by Frank Kozik.
Twisted stories, bone-chilling poems, and harrowing
yet humorous comix that deal with failed relationships,
religious cults, loneliness, and drugs, penned with
razor-sharp precision.
"Bucky Sinister's collection of stories, poems and comics is visceral and violent -- and shockingly touching." - Oyster Boy Review
DEVIL BABE'S BIG BOOK OF POSTCARDS by Isabel Samaras, 24 color postcards, perfectbound, ISBN 0-916397-74-2, $11.95
"Reminiscent of Betty Page and pin-up girl art from the '40s and '50s, Samaras' Devil Babes range from slightly naughty to highly erotic." - Boulder Weekly
Award-winning artist Isabel Samaras conjures up 24 full-color picture postcards from Devil Babe's Big Book of Fun! A voluptuous gift for highbrow art connoisseurs and lowbrow eccentrics: fun for those who are naughty and nice.
DEVIL BABE'S BIG BOOK OF FUN! Tattoo Flash, Coloring & Activity Book for Adults by Isabel Samaras 64 pages, ISBN 0-916397-52-1, $11.95 paperback Art
Why should kids have all the fun? Now grown-ups can have a blast coloring in Devil Babe's luscious lips and tantalizing body parts, playing connect-the-dots to discover naughty pictures, dressing up the Devil Babe paperdoll in sultry fantasy costumes, and whipping up finger-licking taste sensations like Ultra-Chocolate Devil's Food Cake. Revealing artwork for the ultimate tattoo is featured throughout. A voluptuous gift for highbrow art connoisseurs and lowbrow eccentrics: fun for those who are naughty and nice.
POETRY SLAM: The Competitive Art of Performance Poetry edited by Gary Glazner, 240 pages, ISBN 0-916397-66-1, $15 paperback Poetry
"The points are not the point,
the point is poetry. " - Allan Wolf, Asheville Slam
Poetry Slam documents the first ten years of the National Poetry Slam with a dozen essays on how to start a slam, strategies for winning, history of the slam, memorization tips and more, as well as 100 of the best slam-winning poems ever.
DIRTY MONEY and Other Stories by Ayn Imperato, 144 pages, ISBN 0-916397-61-0, $11.95 paperback Fiction
In more than 50 brilliantly humorous short stories and vignettes, Ayn Imperato writes about a contemporary punk rock gal in search of love, fun, and gainful employment. Along the way, she works at a Goth store "where lots of morbid kids in black wearing pointy buckle boots trudge in lamenting about life in the dreary suburbs and then spend what was a week's worth of pay for me on a bunch of rubber eyeballs, bat wall hangings, and cheap Ankh jewelry" (Mr. Janglin' Bones and the Brain); posing for soft porn photographs while covered in mud (Dirty Money); and as a movie extra playing a refugee in Hell (Dirtier Money), among other attempts at earning a living.
SORRY, WE'RE CLOSE by J. Tarin Towers, 120 pages, ISBN 0-916397-58-0, $11.95 paperback Poetry. Cover art by Mary Fleener.
"You can't outsmart the sharply honed arrows of Tarin Towers' poetry. It's lurking in your favorite bar or following you down a freeway at night or standing perfectly still just behind the door to your apartment. Her writing will find you in places you thought were safe." - Beth Lisick
In an urban framework of love and sex and betrayal, these sizzling poems and scorching stories explore the inexplicable politics of human relationships while breaking open the boundaries of the heart's language.
FORTY OUNCER: Stories by Kurt Zapata, 160 pages, ISBN 0-916397-46-7, $11.95 paperback Fiction
"Highly recommended." - San Francisco Bay Guardian
An uproarious collection of 11 intoxicating short stories and a staggering novella about fist fights, love bouts, the trials and tribulations of minimum wage employment, and of course, carousing in bars and nightclubs.
ESCAPE FROM HOUDINI MOUNTAIN by Pleasant Gehman, 144 pages, ISBN 0-916397-68-8, $13.95 paperback Fiction
"Completely authentic and ensorcelling... " -- Gary Indiana
From the glittering debauched nights of 1980s Hollywood ("Escape from Houdini Mountain") to the festering bowels of New York's Lower East Side ("Must Have Been Love"), these 23 mind-bending tales chronicle a young woman's quest for romantic adventure. Spun from her experiences in the L.A. underground, the stories are infectiously entertaining. Pleasant's eye for the human condition is pristine. Her heart shines as she revels in a carnival of delicately drawn characters. Some are sad, some sick, some brilliant, but in Pleasant's world they are all appreciated equally. Ultimately this book, for all it's wildly funny tales, is an evolved praising of feminine beauty and it's power in a world gone mad.
Pleasant Gehman has been writing about L.A. for more than 20 years. She has appeared on E!'s Wild On Tinseltown, MTV, VH-1, and CNN. The author of several books including Senorita Sin and Princess of Hollywood, her work has been widely anthologized.
HELL SOUP by
Sparrow 13 LaughingWand, 96 pages, ISBN
978-0-916397-43-2, $9.95 paperback
Poetry/Gay Studies
Whether he's writing about drug deals gone sour, hobo
camps at war with the local rednecks or his hillbilly childhood,
Sparrow 13 LaughingWand spares no details. His inimitable
character portraits and depiciton of life on society's fringe are
at once haunting and unforgettable. Be prepared to burn as you
consume Hell Soup.
Sparrow 13 LaughingWand was born Taurus with Pisces
rising in the coal and cornbread heart of West Virginia. After
leaving school to pursue a career in vagrancy, experimental
mysticism, and small villainies, Sparrow 13 traveled a million
miles with his right thumb. He's alive and well in San Francisco.
Visa/Mastercard/American Express/Discover/E-check/PayPal accepted. We ship
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Manic D Press. Thanks!
Manic D Press was founded by Jennifer Joseph in 1984. An award-winning literary press based in San Francisco, California publishing fiction, poetry, pop culture, music, art, narrative-oriented comix, children's,and alternative travel books, we represent a diverse group of unique writers and artists, with emphasis on those who have been shunned by the traditional publishing establishment for lacking commercial viability, regardless of their talent or future promise. We've expanded our mission to offer refuge to established writers escaping from the commercial publishing parallel universe. Manic D Press books are distributed to the trade throughout the world by Consortium/Ingram and all major wholesalers. UK / European distribution is through Turnaround. Canadian distribution is through PGC. Awards presented to Manic D Press include 2000 American Library Association Stonewall Award for Literature; 1997 Firecracker Alternative Book Award for Art; 2002 and 2000 Firecracker Alternative Book Awards for Fiction; 1998 American Institute of Graphic Arts juried traveling exhibition 50 Books, 50 Covers; Sept/Oct 2003 + March/April 2004 Booksense 76 lists; SF Bay Guardian's 2004 Best of the Bay: 'Best Quintessentially San Franciscan Publisher', Publishing Triangle's 2007 Thom Gunn Award for Poetry + 2008 Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction; SF Weekly's "Best of San Francisco 2008"; 2009 and 2010 Lambda Literary Transgender Awards; 2014 Kathy Acker Award.
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Manic D Press . Box 410804 . San Francisco CA 94141 USA. t: 415.648.8288