Out Now

Bikes Not Rockets

Bikes Not Rockets imageThese twelve stories explore a variety of intersections set in distant, outlandish, or disturbingly realistic futures and dimensions—all involving bicycles and the breaking of gender stereotypes. A bicycle race spans a rift between worlds. A teenager learns a valuable lesson from her prepper mom. A young fruit seller gets closer to her dream of becoming an astronaut. An overwhelmed mom finds unexpected solace at a bicycle collective. And much more!

Please Let Me Help

Please Let Me Help imageZack is unemployed, overweight, recently divorced, and lives with his mother. Whilst a lesser man would wither away in emo-laden angst, Zack has found inspiration during this difficult stretch of life. A renaissance man, Zack conjures up brilliant ideas (soap on a rope, a Sammy Davis, Jr. biopic starring Tom Cruise, vases of flowers in Port-a-Potties nationwide), offers services (babysitter for Sophia Coppola, compiler and burner for a Beatles Best-of), and attempts to woo unsuspecting ladies with his lifelike sketches of firearms. Please Let Me Help is a collection of letters Zack has written to companies, actors, directors, his local police department, Hulk Hogan, Canada, and scores of other easy targets. Some write back; most don't. Please Let Me Help shows how we can turn our weakest moments into creative opportunities and never give up hope!
 

A People's Guide to Publishing

A People's Guide to Publishing imageMicrocosm's founder, Joe Biel, wrote this book to give you access to his over two decades of publishing experience and skills. Relatable, funny, incredibly detailed, and iconoclastic, this is an essential handbook for anyone who wants to get into the industry or take their small press or zine to the next level.

Unf*ck Your Adulting

Unf*ck Your Adulting imageAdulting is about sooo much more than making your bed, changing the oil in your car, and understanding your 401k. Actually, it's not about any of those things at all, argues Dr. Faith—it's an attitude, a willingness to do the work, to make sure you're carrying your own baggage as you sort it out, and to carry on with kindness no matter how tough things get.

This is Your Brain on Depression

This is Your Brain on Depression imageLet Dr. Faith guide you in her trademark funny, science-y, empathetic way through the ins and outs of depression. This is survivable. You've totally got this.
 

Walking with Ramona (2nd Ed)

Walking with Ramona (2nd Ed) imageExplore the streets, schools, and sights of Portland, Oregon in the 1920s and 1930s—just the way that Beverly Cleary lived them! If you read the Ramona books as a kid (or Henry or Ellen), you'll love Laura O.Foster's deep dive into the history and culture of their setting. Includes a guided walking tour, photos, and generous notes.

Bicycle / Race

Bicycle / Race imageBicycle / Race paints an unforgettable picture of Los Angeles—and the United States—from the perspective of two wheels. This is a book of borderlands and intersections, a cautionary tale about the dangers of putting infrastructure before culture, and a coming-of-age story about power and identity. The colonial history of southern California is interwoven through Adonia Lugo's story of growing up Chicana in Orange County, becoming a bicycle anthropologist, and co-founding Los Angeles's hallmark open streets cycling event, CicLAvia, along the way. When she takes on racism in the world of national bicycle advocacy in Washington, DC, she finds her voice and heads back to LA to organize the movement for environmental justice in active transportation.
In the tradition of City of Quartz, this book will forever change the way you see Los Angeles, race and class in the United States, and the streets and people around you wherever you live.

This is Portland (2nd Ed)

This is Portland (2nd Ed) imageUpdated with a new edition for 2018 and 50% additional material, This is Portland is a first-hand look at a city that people can't seem to stop talking about. It's a guidebook of sorts, but not to restaurants and sightseeing. Instead, Alexander Barrett is your friendly guide to the quirky characters and atmosphere of Portland, Oregon and how fun, beautiful, and ridiculous it can be. With its approachable, often hilarious tone, this book is perfect for anyone who wants to learn more about bikes, beards, beers, rain, and everything else important about the city you've heard you should like.
 

Stoner Babes Coloring Book

Stoner Babes Coloring Book imageThis meditative, art-filled adult coloring book is inspired by the beauty of women and gender fluid people who savor the qualities of the cannabis plant. They are empowered, intelligent, motivated humans who pay no mind to judgment, for they’re making their mark in this world no matter their color, shape, size, age, or gender. You'll enjoy coloring these highly detailed and varied pages, with tattoos, patterned garb, shape-filled backgrounds, marijuana bouquets, and gorgeous faces. While you color, partake in the transcendental qualities of weed and contemplate what empowerment means to you. Contains over 60 babes on single-sided and perforated pages that you can tear out and share.

Feminist Weed Farmer

Feminist Weed Farmer imageWeed is powerful medicine, and growing your own is as empowering as it gets. Experienced Humboldt farmer Madrone Stewart shares her hard-won knowledge gained from years of growing cannabis, Zen meditation, and surviving as a woman in a male-dominated industry. She walks you through the big picture and each detail of growing about six backyard plants, from selecting seeds to harvest and processing. Humorous, sage, and with a big heart, each chapter is infused with what she's learned about equalizing the weed industry, applying mindfulness to pest management, and the importance of owning each step of the process. If you've ever wanted to grow your own pot or make hash or kief at home, this book is your wise guide.

Unfuck Your Brain

Unfuck Your Brain imageOur brains are doing our best to help us out, but they can be real assholes sometimes. Sometimes it seems like your own brain is out to get you—melting down in the middle of the grocery store, picking fights with your date, getting you addicted to something, or shutting down completely at the worst possible moments. You already told your brain firmly that it isn't good to do these things. But your brain has a mind of its own. That's where this book comes in. With humor, patience, and lots of swearing, Dr. Faith shows you the science behind what's going on in your skull and talks you through the process of retraining your brain to respond appropriately to the non-emergencies of everyday life. If you're working to deal with old traumas, or if you just want to have a more measured and chill response to situations you face all the time, this book can help you put the pieces of the puzzle together and get your life and brain back. Our brains are doing our best to help us out, but they can be real assholes sometimes. Sometimes it seems like your own brain is out to get you—melting down in the middle of the grocery store, picking fights with your date, getting you addicted to something, or shutting down completely at the worst possible moments. You already told your brain firmly that it isn't good to do these things. But your brain has a mind of its own. That's where this book comes in. With humor, patience, and lots of swearing, Dr. Faith shows you the science behind what's going on in your skull and talks you through the process of retraining your brain to respond appropriately to the non-emergencies of everyday life. If you're working to deal with old traumas, or if you just want to have a more measured and chill response to situations you face all the time, this book can help you put the pieces of the puzzle together and get your life and brain back.
 

In The News

Call for Submissions for Neurodiversity zine series

Autism now occupies a similar place in the public consciousness at this moment as gay rights did in the 1970s: no one understands it and The Borg demand our assimilation! 
Proud to Be Retarded (previously Don't Be Retarded) is for sale now! It offers exposition on neurotypicals' neurophobia and the frequent claim that they are supportive of #ActuallyAutistic people...as long as we act like they do. One reviewer for my book Good Trouble mentioned that she couldn't believe that I wasn't part of a radical zine community on the forefront of Autistic theory...so I decided to start one! The inspiration for the title lies in the homocore roots of punk and Don't Be Gay in the 1980s. Queer punks were told that they would be accepted as soon as they acted like straight people.  The deadline for issue #3 is February 15, 2019 the theme is interactions with authority, and submissions should be 500-2,000 words! Theme for issue #4 is anxiety with a deadline of August 15, 2019. Issue #5 focuses on Co-occuring conditions with a deadline of February 15, 2020. 
Your Neurodiverse Friend features advice and explanatory narrative about the neurodiverse experience for the less divergent so we can be seen as real, whole people. The first issue is at the printer now! If you are interested in contributing to issue #2, the deadline is November 15 and the theme is "being taken advantage of." The theme for issue #3 is Masking and the deadline is May 15, 2019. We want your personal narrative, origin story, misconceptions you've faced, how people could better interact/collaborate/interface with you, and aspirations of how you would like the movement to grow that can serve as a narrative for NTs understanding our people's experiences. 500-2,000 words.
email submissions/questions to joe at microcosmpublishing daht com

Good Life BFF

Good Life BFF imageYour sustainable living toolkit! Subscribe to all of our most popular books, as they come out: Cookbooks, DIY project books, books about healthy relationships, bicycling, fermenting, building, mending, growing, and generally living the life you want in every way.
 

Microcosm In Your Town!

Here are the events we'll be participating in this year. Either we're tabling our books, or an author is presenting, or both! a customer browsing a table full of books If you’re planning an event and want us to be part of it (speaking, author readings, movie screening, book and t-shirt slinging, etc) please let us know!!

Calling for submissions for the Scene History series!

Are you stoked about the history of your town? Do you find out interesting nuggets by talking to those who came before you or by scouting out details on Google and Wikipedia? Do you want a reason to hunt out some people you respect and fill in the gaps? Well, the Scene History series is an opportunity to do just that. Like our Simple History Series, we will publish a paperback each year of the Scene History series that tell the story of a particular city's scene. (the series does not profile individuals, albums, or bands, but really must be framed around a real scene, no fiction!) Suggested length is 15,000-30,000 words. Get as creative as you find gratifying. Learn about your favorite places and how things developed. Check out the existing Scene Histories here! To pitch, just send a general summary of the scene that you are profiling, the years profiled, and your qualifications/interest to profile it! Will it be prose or comics? Do you have access to photos and images? Why are you excited to do this? Submit or ask questions to joe at microcosmpublishing daht com

BFF Book Subscription

BFF Book Subscription image

Be our Best Friend Forever (BFF)! For 6 months you'll receive every new title we publish. The subscription is sliding scale price $10-30/month, and you can either pay in one sum upfront here or pay-as-you-go here. Thanks for your support!  Google+

 

Upcoming

True Trans Bike Rebel

True Trans Bike Rebel imageTrue Trans Bike Rebel is the fifteenth issue of Taking the Lane feminist bike zine. This issue is dedicated to trans, genderqueer, and agender folks talking about the power of bicycling in their lives.

Blogifesto!

Where Are They Now? Past Inter-Cosmonauts

Every few months we welcome a few new folks into our office to help out and learn about what we do. Most often these are volunteers or interns looking to be a part of what we do and learn, for themselves or for college credit. Any of us who’ve been there can tell you it’s a wild experience that is sometimes radical, sometimes tedious, sometimes bizarre, and at other times empowering AF. But… what happens to those brave young people afterwards?

Over the summer we asked some Micro-intern-alums what they’re up to these days, and there’s a lot going on. Writing projects, book recommendations, zines being made, and more…

 

Jamae Sabangan:

I’m currently focusing most of my energy toward dance as a company member of 11: Dance Co. Our show “Miranda: The Inevitable Disintegration of All Things” premieres on September 18, 2018. As for writing, revisions on my current work-in-progress, Shift, are underway as part of my Camp NaNoWriMo project. I’m looking forward to participating in the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program starting mid-July.

My book recommendations for urban fantasy as well as young adult / new adult enthusiasts are The Raven Cycle series, All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater, along with The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. All the magical things!

Readers can find me on my website HintofJam.com and through the handle @JASabangan on social media, especially Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

 

 

Sam Leicht:

Right now I’m just back in the Chicago suburbs for the summer working in a kitchen at a steakhouse. I’m reading Cat’s Cradle (Kurt Vonnegut), How Music Works (David Byrne), and watching lots and lots of Netflix. I guess the only media recommendation, TV wise, I’d have then is James Acaster’s Netflix stand up special “Repertoire.” Super funny (if you can understand his accent). I also drove my car here from Portland which let me listen to NPR’s “Invisibilia” podcast, which I really liked.

I guess the only “project” I’m working on is trying to book bands to come to University of Portland next year to play. Actually, lemme know if anyone at Microcosm knows a band/musician who might be into that!

You can reach me at my instagram, @s_leicht.

 

Natalie Petrelis:

I am currently living in Melbourne, Australia and working, working, working by day, and making art by night.

Natalie selling her zines at the National Gallery of Victoria, as a part of the 2017 Australian Zine Showcase run by Sticky Institute

A couple of months ago I started a personal project where I began writing at least one poem a day. Poetry is everything to me, and after I finished writing my Honours thesis, I just stopped writing. Now I am making the time to make art, and I feel so much better for it. This process is really helping me to continue to work out how and why I write, and what I enjoy writing about. Learning to listen to my own voice and express it can be really cathartic, but also creatively challenging.

I am also still making my zine, CREEPSPINE, on the side, and I have been planning a couple arty projects and starting to play with clay as well.

I finally read Just Kids by Patti Smith and every time I talk about it I get very emotional. Her writing and stories are such a pleasure to read. Also, I just started The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge by Rainer Maria Rilke and so far I love it. If you like poetry, then this is the kind of prose you’d like to read. Rilke’s style of writing is so detailed and subtly evocative, it catches me off guard and I just have to pause to take it all in.

Instragram: @creep_spine

Etsy: www.etsy.com/au/shop/creepspinezine

 

Lydia’s zine Thought Rot

 

 

Lydia S:

I’ve been attending Mills College in Oakland, CA. Last month I put out a second installment of THOUGHT ROT zine, titled “Subject of Order”. More recently, I’ve started writing for Audiofemme, an online music journal written by women.

Current book recommendation: Dora: A Headcase by Lidia Yuknavitch

Find me at rot_thought on Instagram.

 

 

Dylan Siegler:

I’m back home in Los Angeles, working as a writer for the online publication “Attack of the Fanboy”, where I write video game-related news articles, opinion pieces, reviews and guides. Recently, I got back from covering this year’s E3.

I finished writing my novel a little while ago and am trying to get it published. Earlier this year, I wrapped on a short film that is currently in post-production, which I helped write and acted in, as well as acting as Executive Producer. I also released my first narrative-driven video game earlier this year and am currently working on another one. I released my sixth and only good studio album, which is available on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon and Spotify (and YouTube: Resident Useless – The End of Days (2018)).

I haven’t had much time to read books, that being said, I can recommend some great story-driven games! Some of my personal favorites are: Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us, Telltale’s The Walking Dead (the first season, not A New Frontier), Toby Fox’s Undertale, PlatinumGames’ NieR: Automata, DONTNOD’s Life is Strange and Team Salvato’s Doki Doki Literature Club!

FB: (https://www.facebook.com/Dylan-Siegler-1651108724918140/)

Twitter: (https://twitter.com/ResidentUseless)

Work articles:  https://attackofthefanboy.com/author/siegsdj

 

Want to check out our radical punk zinester scene for yourself? Learn more about volunteering.

 

Note: This post was compiled & edited by intern Hanna Baublitz. Also, each section was written over the summer, so some folks may already be on to new projects by now! Follow them yourself and find out!