Microcosm Publishing

Now on Kickstarter: Practical Witch's Almanac 2026: Green Witchcraft

Unfuck Your Communication: Using Science to Connect, Collaborate, and Make Yourself Heard

In so many facets of our lives, it can be surprisingly hard to speak up, listen well, and find mutual understanding. At some point, all of us will experience an unfortunate miscommunication with a friend or intimate partner, and sometimes there’s just no escaping a difficult conversation with a family member or colleague. Rather than eating your words or running from confrontation, learn to communicate confidently and listen empathetically with the help of Dr. Faith G. Harper, bestselling author of Unfuck Your Brain and Unfuck Your Intimacy. In this no-nonsense guide, you’ll find conversational templates, guidance for setting boundaries, and tips for talking effectively at home, at work, at school, in everyday encounters, and even with social services and other bureaucratic entities—all of which form a handy toolkit for successful communication.

Best Selling Zines of 2025 (So Far)

Portland Queer: Stories of LGBTQ+ Life in Portland, Oregon

Keep Portland Queer!

Portland, Oregon, is a queer city in the queerest state in the US. It's also a place where, like anywhere in this country, you can experience bigotry, violence, and discrimination. Out of these contradictions bursts this sparkling collection of first-person stories—a heady mix of fiction and fact—written by contributors from across the queer spectrum and beyond, serving vulnerability, humor, and realness.  

Immerse yourself in familiar scenes and landmarks like Washington Park, Caffe Mingo, the Silverado, Powell's City of Books, Umbra Penumbra, St. Mary's Academy, the Lloyd Center Mall, Hawthorne Boulevard, Food Front Co-op, Darcelle XV, a ghost bike installation, a backyard barbecue, a call center during third shift, and the many bridges over the Willamette River. Read Gabby Rivera's original story that became the hit novel Juliet Takes a Breath. Revel in David Ciminello's tale of a waiter who falls in love with a straight guy from the café next door. Learn Marc Acito's answer to the question "Where do you find hot men in Portland?" Elevate your vocabulary with Stevie Anntonym's "Lesbian Lexicon." Whatever your orientation, these accounts of queer and trans life in the Rose City will make you see the world and your place in it from a different angle.

This new edition of the Lambda Literary Award-winning anthology includes a poem by Nastashia Minto and stories by Christa Orth and Kalimah Abioto. 

Notes from Underground: Zines and the Politics of Alternative Culture

Can zines save the world? Maybe, says Stephen Duncombe in the updated fourth edition of his groundbreaking study of the zine publishing underground, but only if we act on what we learn from them. Duncombe's lovingly critical and thought-provoking book explores the history, theory, and usefulness of zines, from their origin in the early twentieth century sci fi fandom, their spread through 1960s counterculture, and their rise through the 1990s punk and riot grrrl communities. Throughout, zines have critiqued capitalism, broken from mainstream culture, and provided outlets for marginalized people to express themselves and communicate with each other. In an era of book bans and culture wars, we need zines now more than ever. 

Featuring a foreword by Emma Alice Johnson, midwestern farmer-zinester and author of such gems as Alternatives to Beekeeping and Midnight Queens: 80s Horror Movies Written and Directed by Women, the fourth edition of Notes from Underground includes comics, quotes, and excerpts from around the zine scene, inviting us into a vibrant, contemporary zine culture that pairs powerful art with urgent action.

Your Cozy Life: DIY Nesting Skills for a Sustainable Home

Save money, save the planet, and craft a sustainable domestic life without relying on smelly, toxic, expensive consumer products. This handwritten and hand-drawn book of charming tutorials for natural housekeeping and home repair, organic gardening and food preservation, herbal first aid, and mending clothes is both fun and accessible. It's full of simple skills that anyone can and should learn. From creating healthy tinctures and salves to preserving excess food to fixing a leaky faucet, this book is great if you're looking to live more simply, create a comfortable nest, and truly do it yourself. Combining the power of Raleigh Briggs's bestselling Make Your Place and Make It Last to form a complete guide to everything you need to consume less and live more in line with your values. 

Womb Witch: Herbal Magick for Reproductive Health

Liberate your uterus

Herbal remedies and wise perspectives to help make your cycle less of a rollercoaster.

Ever felt like your uterus is out to get you? Or experienced dismay at the politicians out to get your uterus? This book will speak straight to your soul. Get to know your body with this inclusive guide to herbal, holistic self-care for every womb, at every stage of life—from puberty to post-menopause and everything in between. Herbalist and pregnancy loss doula Angelica Merritt offers a wealth of anatomical science, plant medicine, and nutritional and herbal strategies to support body literacy, a regular menstrual cycle, and your reproductive goals. If you're dealing with irregular menstruation, PCOS, infertility, pregnancy loss or release, perimenopause, or any other reproductive health issue, look to these pages for remedies that bridge the scientific and the spiritual. Inside you'll find guidance in holistic modalities such as castor oil packs, breath work, breast and womb massage, baths, and infused oils, along with rituals and journal prompts. You'll learn about the connections between the womb, the moon cycle, and the archetypes of Maiden, Mother, and Crone. Transform your self-care through the magick of the womb within!

Bug Life: How Bees, Butterflies, and Other Insects Rule the World

Bugs are everywhere! Humans often think of insects as gross or creepy, but we couldn't survive without them. In this love letter to bugs, biologist, linguist, and bug enthusiast Karyn Light-Gibson introduces us to an array of our notable neighbors, from bees to bedbugs, caterpillars to butterflies, ladybugs to katydids, and so, so many more. With informative glee and striking illustrations, she identifies the many bugs we encounter every day and delves into their place in science, history, art, literature, culture, cuisine, and even warfare. You'll learn so many cool facts about flies, beetles, moths, aphids, cicadas, bedbugs, crickets, cockroaches, and the other creeping, crawling, and flying critters that make our world go round. For every human, there are 1.4 billion insects in the world, playing a vital part of our ecosystem. A small percentage of bugs can be dangerous or spread disease, but the vast majority are our allies as indicators of environmental health, pollinators of our food, and a key part of the food web we rely on. Even the most wary readers will come away with a new perspective on the tiny creatures around them and a serious appreciation of just how important—and cool—bugs are.

Shadow Work Exploration Deck

"What emotions do you actively try to avoid?"

"How do you lie to yourself on a daily basis?"

"What do you need to make peace with?"

Healing, growth, and self-acceptance come from seeing our flaws, fears, and mistakes with clarity and compassion. In this 52-card deck, Dr. Faith G. Harper—bestselling author of Unfuck Your Brain and Boundaries Conversation Deck—offers prompts to help you explore the parts of yourself that you usually try not to see. Work through your trauma, improve your relationships, seek true accountability, and embrace your whole authentic self. Use these cards for individual reflection, as a challenging group activity, as part of addiction recovery, or with your therapist to get up close and personal with your hidden side and see what important truths you uncover—and the freedom and joy of truly knowing who you are.

Anxiety Coping Skills Deck

"When you hear your anxiety speaking to you, whose voice is it?"

"What would a healthy relationship with your anxiety look and feel like?"

"Visualize a safe place."

With these prompts and many others, Dr. Faith G. Harper—bestselling author of Unfuck Your Anxiety and Stress Coping Skills Deck—helps you reflect on your anxiety and learn how to cope with it. Many of us are familiar with the trembling, choking, panicky, or uneasy feelings that characterize anxiety, and they aren't pleasant. Whether you have a diagnosed anxiety disorder or just want to better handle the anxiety-provoking situations that life throws at you, this 52-card deck will equip you with practical coping strategies and reflection questions to help you understand your anxiety and transform your relationship with it. Use these cards in therapy, in a group, for personal reflection, or whenever you need some help managing your anxious thoughts and feelings.

Unfuck Your Parenting: How to Raise Feminist, Compassionate, Responsible, and Generally Non-Shitty Kids

How do you raise your kids to be functional adults with big hearts? Young people need to learn to stand up against every kind of oppression, respect boundaries and consent, and gain self-compassion while also navigating money, friends, sex, and school. How can you prepare children and teens to find joy and stability as they cope with uncertainty, violence, and disaster, especially when your own coming-of-age lessons weren't so thoughtfully taught?

Parents and mental-health professionals Dr. Faith G. Harper and Bonnie Scott have written a parenting guide for the 21st century that is a must-read for people with children of any age, from infancy to adulthood. Drawing from the authors' experiences raising diverse, politically active young people, this book will help you bring up a new generation with tools to change the world for the better—all while maintaining your own separate identity and relationships…and without losing your mind.

An Urban Field Guide to the Plants, Trees, and Herbs in Your Path

Befriend the plants in your neighborhood.

Imagine going for a walk with a knowledgeable friend who points out all the plants you see and the coolest facts about them. This practical field guide is that friend, providing a delightful introduction to 58 of the plants, trees, weeds, and herbs you’ll encounter walking around most US cities. Accurate, charming line drawings accompany detailed yet accessible botanical information about each plant that helps you easily identify it in all seasons. You’ll also learn each plant's backstory, including its relatives, origins, historical uses, and other fun facts. Getting to know the plants you meet every day will help you strengthen your sense of place, improve your foraging game, make new botanical and herbal friends, and marvel at the life that is all around us.

Humble Book Bundle: Survival in the Margins

We’ve teamed up with Humble Bundle for an eclectic blend of awesome DIY, self-help, and home-improvement books for you to soak up as summer kicks off.

Learn how to do—well—just about anything with titles like An Urban Field Guide to the Plants, Trees, and Herbs in Your Path, How to Get Off Social Media and Still Keep in Touch with Your Friends, Household Hiding Places & How to Make Them, and much more.

Get the ultimate collection of useful ebooks and support the Book Industry Charitable Foundation with your purchase!

Check out the bundle at this link.

Our Portland Warehouse is Open by Appointment for In-Person Shopping!

Yep, that's right, if you're in Portland, you can come shop in person at our Portland bookstore (located at our warehouse), by appointment! Our staffed hours are 11am-3pm Mon-Saturday.

Here are the details:

If you're shopping for items for yourself

• To help with juggling our workers' busy schedules, we're asking shoppers to purchase a digital gift card for $50 or more in order to make a shopping appointment. The gift card will be applied to your in-store purchase. Leave an order note that says "I want to make an appointment to browse at the store," when you check out. (If you forget to leave a note after purchase, email orders@microcosmpublishing.com with your order ID and someone will be in touch!)

If you're shopping for items to resell in your own store

• Email our sales department at sales@microcosmpublishing.com or call us at 360-291-7226 and we'll figure out a time for you to come by.

Face masks are required for everyone entering our building!

If you have any questions, please email orders@microcosmpublishing.com, and someone from our customer service team will help!

See you soon!
<3 Microcosm

We're in this together.

Hi friends. We’re not big on making statements—we hope our work speaks for us most of the time—but these are extra-troubling times and we were inspired by Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, NC to share what we’re doing to meet this moment.

There’s this idea of “locus of control” that we think about a lot at times like this when the static is overwhelming and it’s easy to feel helpless. It’s a great way of cutting through the overwhelming static so you can focus on what you actually can do. 

Maybe your locus of control is very small and encompasses only the freedom of your thoughts. Maybe you can set priorities for your personal spending or a project you manage, maybe you have an online platform, or maybe you have an artistic outlet or are good at writing letters or making a compelling argument. There are always going to be more things outside your locus, like you can’t control what others think or do (and honestly that’s probably a good thing). But we bet most of you have a lot more influence than you think.  

One of the most important factors that increases the impact of acting from your locus of control is Martin Seligman’s “Learned Optimism,” the idea that you can change your situation through concerted effort, focus, and perspective. You can find this idea in a few of Dr. Faith’s books, and she and Joe wrote about it extensively in How to Be Accountable. 

What's in our locus of control as a company? How do we stay optimistic? That’s a moving target, but here’s what we’ve got so far:

• Sharing our existing resources. In other words: getting you the books you need more than ever. Since the beginning, we’ve created work by and for those of us living closer to the margins than the center. We’re prepared with resources for survival, action, and care in a national crisis because crisis isn’t new to us. 
• Adding new resources. We are actively adding new titles to our catalog that provide support to those most harmed. Books and decks take a couple years or longer but we’ve been putting out a flurry of zines since November and acquiring more all the time. Let us know if you have requests. Or submit your own idea and we’ll see if it’s a fit.
• Shoring up our policies and procedures. We’ve recently improved a bunch of existing policy and procedures around privacy and security, and refreshed our team on it.
  • To protect our team: We already had a policy that was basically “don’t call the cops or let them into the building unless extreme violence is occuring.” We added more specifics about what to do if, say, ICE knocks on the door (don’t let them in or talk to them) and made sure our workers know what to do. 
  • To protect our customers and community: We won’t share your private data with anyone, ever. We’ve added some more layers of security, and we added a bit about online safety to our FAQ in response to reader questions. We are continually improving our data security practices. 

• Offering sliding scale prices on our published books.We’ve done this for a long time and everyone wins—if you can afford less, you can pay less, if you can afford more, you can pay more. 
• Sending books to people in prison. We have a mutual aid program to send books to imprisoned readers whenever they ask, which is nearly every day. The community chips in to help with the cost of the books so the authors can still get royalties. Based on the mail we get, this is changing lives.  
• Donating books to causes we care about. Requests for donated books have skyrocketed this year. Instead of pulping our overstock, we donate as much of it as we can. If your organization can use books as leverage for doing better work, hit us up on our contact page.
• Being in community. It’s sometimes harder to figure out how to do this as a business. We’re not tiny, but we’re not big enough to make a huge splash. We do some “I’m a local business owner and I care about this issue” advocacy stuff, which doesn’t usually feel very impactful. Our Portland office is at a bus stop, and one of our team members has stepped up to pick up trash every day and maintain the trash can there. We host a Futel public phone and just added a free bookshelf.
• Not being butts. We recognize that everyone’s feeling jagged and having a tough time. Us too! This is one of the harder ones, but we are trying extra to be kind and patient even in the most frustrating interactions or when we have to say no to something someone really wants. Is “trying not to ruin anyone’s day” a worthy entry into our locus of control list? We think so. 
• Always getting better at what we do. This is a choice we make every day. Being able to do the things on this list is what gets us up every morning. Publishing and distributing more books and zines that people want, selling more of them, reducing our costs, improving our systems and efficiency, improving morale, increasing our wages… being better at the business part isn’t the goal in itself, but it’s a force multiplier for the good we’re trying to do.  

A lot of the items on this list are things we’ve been doing for years. That’s not a brag: it comes out of necessity. Many of our readers and team members are certainly in more danger than before from recent and upcoming executive actions, but, unfortunately, none of these threats are entirely new.  

As our friends at Chickasaw Press said of our common ground when we started working together, “We are the voices that are being muffled.” But that is also our greatest strength, because when times get tough, we’re prepared. For better or worse, the margins are our comfort zone.

So we’re sorry to say that we’re as ready as we can be. None of us can stop the tide alone, but we can stand together against it.

Want to boost these actions? You probably have a long to-do list of your own, but if you’re struggling to find a path forward, here are a few ways to get started:

• Buy books! Read zines! If you’re getting ones by us, the best ways to support us are to get them either directly from us, from your local independent bookstore, at Bookshop.org, or check them out from the library. 
• Want to help distribute our poster catalogs to your local coffeeshops and other community flyer spots? Drop us a line.
• Send a care package to a friend who’s having a hard time.
• If you know someone who’s really struggling, talk to them about it! Talking about what’s wrong saves lives. Here’s a handy resource shared by our author Sascha Altman DuBrul.
• Pitch in to help send our books to people in prison.
• Make a list of actions in your own locus of control. Feel free to share with us if you’d like, we love to see this stuff!

Thanks for being in this with us. 

Events! Microcosm In Your Town

Want to meet us in person, check out our books, or see an author speak? We've got author events and convention events coming up!

Upcoming Author Events

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Upcoming Tabling Events

None listed. Want us to table at your event? Reach out to daley (at) microcosmpublishing.com!

Upcoming Trade Shows and Industry Events

Usually not open to the public, these industry events are a chance for store buyers to peruse our books, write orders, and chat about terms. We plan to either attend or exhibit at the following events. If you'll be there too, drop us a line—we'd love to meet you.

Interested in having an author at your store or event? Reach out!!

Planning an event and want us to be part of it (speaking, author readings, movie screenings, setting up a book and zine pop-up shop, etc.)? Let us know!!

In the Portland area? We can set up a book fair at your workplace like the ones your school used to have.

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Microcosm now on PubStock

Direct ordering for bookstores just got even easier

Hey, this is a fun little piece of news, but it's going to be most useful and interesting to our industry pals and bookselling buddies, so feel free to keep scrolling if that doesn't feel like it applies to you! The good news for everyone, though, is that this should make it even easier to find Microcosm titles on your local bookstore's shelves—and easier to order them if you don't see what you're looking for. Thanks to everyone on both sides of the bookstore counter keeping this radical publisher afloat in wild times!

In our continuing mission to shore up the independent book world ecosystem, Microcosm Publishing's in-house and distributed titles are now available on PubStock! PubStock is a Bookmanager tool that allows U.S. bookstores to get a live look at our available inventory—bookstores that use Bookmanager for their website/inventory/point of sale can now browse and purchase Microcosm titles with even greater ease, without having to look through our site and without running into availability issues. Our stock counts are updated daily, so our indie bookselling friends get a clearer picture than ever of what titles we have available, and how many.

Even better for the folks linked up with Batch, since we're there, too! Ordering, receiving, and record-keeping just got way easier, building Microcosm's inventory into the tools booksellers have at hand.

Love you, indie bookstores. Thanks for keeping it real! And as always, we'd love to hear from you about what we can do better to keep us all working, organizing, and thriving together.

Microcosm Declares 2025 the Year of Zines

The DIY information technology helping us build a better world

In an era of book bans, people are still finding ways to read, write, and share freely. One result we’ve noticed: a groundswell of zines. That’s why we’re calling 2025 the Year of Zines.

What’s a zine? It’s a stapled, photocopied love letter to a passionate interest. People write zines about whatever they need to: to tell their story uncensored, to express themselves fearlessly in words and art, to share knowledge or resources, to celebrate something they care about deeply, to connect directly with readers. Zines can take many forms, from a handwritten manifesto distributed out of a fanny pack to a polished product sold in stores. 

We have published and sold zines since 1996, and we’ve seen many waves of interest come and go. But we haven’t seen anything like the surge of zine sales that began on November 9, 2024. Sure, there was a two-week run on reproductive rights resources, books like How to Get Your Period and zines like Reclaiming Our Ancient Wisdom pushing aside all other holiday bestsellers (even Slingshot Planners!) on their way to the top of the charts. But that urgency quickly died down, revealing an even stickier trend on our orders page—people were, and still are, loading up with assorted, seemingly random zines, on every topic, from every era. Zines about bees, government misdeeds, backyard building projects, mental health, abortion, abortion, abortion. Zines and books about how to make zines.

What’s behind this hunger for zines? To us, it’s not that hard to see. We are all desperate to expand our understanding, to think freely, to feel safe connections with others and with our own thoughts, to learn the skills we need to survive this era. Online media, especially social media, is compromised. Books can be slow to come out, ponderous to read, relentlessly gatekept, banned up the wazoo. Zines are none of these. They’re a fix that satisfies the urgent need for pithy commentary, bigger perspective, getting a look inside someone else’s head without needing to have your own perfectly-formed and fully-informed opinion. They provide a small, safe bubble with no mandate for response. A zine is a safe place to not know, to be wrong, to change your mind, and to entertain other perspectives.

Zines can be banned, but they’re too slippery to be stopped, too slight to be taken seriously, some too underground to even be found. They are decentralized, passed hand-to-hand, and there are no gatekeepers to corrupt or bottlenecks to plug. 

And the best thing about zines is that you can create one! You can publish it yourself, all you need is something to say and access to a printer or copier. You can give copies to your friends, leave them in the public library or at Little Free Libraries, mail them to the creators who made you fall in love with zines in the first place. This is far from the expensive corporate allure of self-publishing a book-shaped object to remain forever hidden in the algorithm. Zines are a form of energy that can’t be contained by anyone, even us, and we wouldn’t want it any other way.

So we’re calling 2025 the Year of Zines, and this is what it means: read zines. Seek them out. We have a ton in our catalog, and we sell them to more and more stores. You can find a plethora of printed zines on Etsy and digital ones on itch.io. More and more cities and towns are hosting their own zine fests. You’ll find them hiding out in craft fair booths, in a bin at the library. Search for zines + your area of passionate interest. Once you start looking, you’ll see them everywhere. (And if you have a store, check out our zine about selling zines!). 

And when you aren’t finding the exact zine you want, well, you know what to do. How do you think we got started making them? 

If you'd like to submit a zine or an idea for one to Microcosm, you can read a little more about our guidelines and process here. Happy creating!

Thornapple Press to be distributed by Microcosm Publishing

Meet our latest distributed publisher

Starting April 1, 2025, Microcosm Publishing will become the new worldwide distributor (excluding Canada) for Thornapple Press, a Canadian publisher specializing in thoughtful titles about love, sexuality, and relational ethics with integrity. Publisher Eve Rickert founded Thornapple as the successor to Thorntree Press, publisher of popular and award-winning polyamory- and relationship-based books such as Polysecure, More Than Two, and Love’s Not Color Blind.

Microcosm founder and CEO, Joe Biel, says of the new agreement, "I've found Thornapple to have an excellent point of view, good publication packaging and design, and thoughtful ideas throughout their existence, so when they approached us to become their distributor, the answer was obvious. Independent presses are stronger together and it's clear that this tide lifts all boats." 

Rickert adds, "The new arrangement offers a lot of benefits for Thornapple, our books and our authors. Microcosm has a large sales staff throughout the USA, with excellent reach into specialty shops, such as sex shops, that are well-suited for our books. Microcosm is also closely aligned with Thornapple in terms of both brand identity and company culture."

Microcosm will distribute Thornapple’s full backlist as well as all forthcoming titles, such as Transforming the Shame Triangle: From Shame to Love Using Parts Work by bestselling authors Jessica Fern and David Cooley, scheduled for release in 2025. While Microcosm has always sold Thornapple Press’s catalog, Thornapple titles will be exclusive through Microcosm starting in April 2025.

Excited? Us too! Exclusive distro rights begin in the new year, but you can still browse the Thornapple titles currently available on our site, with more to come!

Microcosm's 2024 Gift Guide

Make change, do good, spread some light

It's been A Year (TM). Don't know about y'all, but we're tired—and at the same time, extremely motivated to make change, do good, and spread some light. 'Tis the season, you know? So for this year's gift guide, our theme is in keeping with the times. A lot of you are shopping for the movers, shakers, and helpers in your lives, and we have a few suggestions to help get you started (or you can just get yourself something nice).

? If you want to make sure your items arrive in time for the holidays, be sure to place your order by December 6th! ?

To save a little money, use coupon GIFTGUIDE15 to get 15% off your order at checkout through December 7th!

So let's get into it:

• The One Working on Their Own Healing
• The One Casting a Spell to Make the World a Better Place
• The One Planning Ahead
• The One Creating a Way Through
• The One Starting an Underground Healthcare Collective
• The One Gardening, Preserving, and Doing it Themself
• The One Unionizing Their Workplace
• The One Learning from the Past
• The One Who Knows Queer Joy is an Act of Resistance
• The One You Don't Know How to Shop For

The One Working on Their Own Healing

Sometimes you find inspiration in the most unlikely of places. Like, did you know guinea pigs—yes, the adorable little squeaky guys—are true adversaries of capitalism?

• What Guinea Pigs Can Teach Us About Life: How Sleeping Piggies Show Rest as Resistance and Yawning as Care by Virginia Cafaro
  Capitalism is a bummer. We’re told that our value lies solely in our work, and “grind culture” has become the norm. However, there is one shining beacon of resistance in our capitalist hellscape: guinea pigs. Virginia Cafaro has learned to see her guinea pigs as not only role models, but true adversaries to the capitalist regime. Follow along with Virginia, Pamela, Andersen, and Brisetti as they delve into the need for rest, community, communication, and self-care.
  
• Unfuck Your Anger: Using Science to Understand Frustration, Rage, and Forgiveness by Dr. Faith G. Harper
  If you've ever been so pissed off that you did things that you regretted, this book is for you. Or if you feel angry every day and it's affecting your health. Or if you've got very good reasons to be mad as hell, and you aren't going to take it anymore. Or if you've repressed your anger all your life and now it's all coming out at once. Microcosm Publishing bestseller Dr Faith explains here what the hell is going on in your brain and how to retrain yourself to deal with enraging situations more productively and without torpedoing your relationships.
  
• How to Get Off Social Media and Still Keep In Touch With Your Friends by Sylvia Friday
  This little zine is part personal reflection on the merits of unplugging and part instruction manual for successfully extricating yourself from the ever-more-nightmarish world of social media. Author Sylvia Friday reflects on the uses of social media, and offers a critique of the ways that social media (especially for artists) has reduced art to a vacuous process of the capitalist cult of productivity. Friday calls for us to embrace snail mail and the beauty of ink and paper as a way to slow down, be creative in new and different ways, and engage more meaningfully with our loved ones.
  
• How to Feel Better: A Beginner's Guide to Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Well Being by School of Life Design
  An intensive, weeklong attunement course—in zine form—designed to help you access your personal power and the energetic resources around you to live a more engaged, authentic life. With charming images and a variety of supportive strategies for getting out of your head, into your body, and into your actual life one day at a time, this small but powerful resource will help you find everlasting satisfaction from the infinite source of well being within you.
  
• Self-Compassion: Be Kind to Yourself Instead of Striving for Bullshit by Dr. Faith G. Harper
  For decades, the U.S. has been obsessed with "self-esteem" or rather with our lack of it. How about self-compassion instead? Bestseller Dr. Faith explains the difference between the two and offers some helpful exercises in developing more compassion for yourself. It's actually very different, she explains, than letting yourself off the hook for your bullshit. It's more helpful to accept that you're human so that you can learn and grow rather than push aside your problems or wallow in your mistakes. Also, kindness to yourself helps you be more kind to other people as well. Everyone wins!

The One Casting a Spell to Make the World a Better Place

Build a better, more just, and much more climate-friendly world (while doing no harm and taking no shit) with Utopian Witch, Justine Norton-Kertson's solarpunk book of politically conscious spells and rituals. There's also a sticker and pin, if that's your jam.

• Utopian Witch: Solarpunk Magick to Fight Climate Change and Save the World by Justine Norton-Kertson
  Drawing on the natural connections between modern paganism and the literary, artistic, and activist movement known as solarpunk, this unique book of shadows provides meditations and correspondences for developing a spiritual practice rooted in nature, the Sun, and a powerful belief in our ability to build a better world. These politically conscious magickal practices (including spells to use in the fight against climate change, fascism, and inequality) forge a new spiritual praxis to guide us as we work together to envision and create the future we want to see.
  
• The Practical Witch's Almanac 2025: Rebel Wisdom by Friday Gladheart
  The essential core of witchcraft is wisdom and change. We've always been rebellious and defiant, and our own traditions are not exempt from challenge. Delve into iconic witchcraft traditions like the utterance of "blessed be" and the influential Wiccan Rede, exploring their origins and relevance today. This introspective journey isn't just about history; it's an empowering quest. It challenges you to assess these traditions' place in your craft. Embrace, adapt, or boldly defy these customs—this edition empowers you to shape your craft's evolution on your terms as you travel your unique spiritual path.
  
• You Are a Great and Powerful Wizard: Self-Care Magic for Modern Mortals by Sage Liskey and Barbara Counsil
  Contemporary life is confusing and it's easy to feel out of control. In this smart, secular witchcraft manual, Sage Liskey shows you how to get in touch with the mental, emotional, and physical aspects needed for spell casting. Chapters include guidance on finding your highest form, understanding your wizarding type, controlling your magic, overcoming roadblocks to your power such as depression and trauma, finding love or your ideal career, working with magical objects, facing a crisis, and community spell work. Once you've fully tapped into your magical powers, you can use them to effect positive change in yourself and those around you.
  
• Plants Against the Patriarchy by JP Hawthorne and Iris Mae Misciagna
  Descriptions of many species of plants and their applications, specifically in the way they help deal with our capitalist society's toxic masculinity-driven culture. It includes simple yet beautiful art from Iris Mae Misciagna for all the various plants. From Sunflowers to Lemon Balm, this zine is for ya'll looking for a fun read with some attitude or the medicinal remedy for those douche-bags down the street.

The One Planning Ahead

Let me tell you about the 2025 Slingshot organizer, for all your revolutionary needs. It's got all your usual planner-y things, calendars, memo pages, etc. But it also has info on police repression, a menstrual calendar, usual phrases in multiple languages like "freedom" and "mutual aid," a bunch of other things that have made it the go-to planner for organizers for years.

• Unfuck Your Year: A Weekly Unplanner and Self-Care Activity Book to Manage Your Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Triggers, and Freak-Outs by Dr. Faith G. Harper
  Take control of your life with this unplanner at any point in the year, and fill in the months and days as you plan your weeks and work through the exercises month by month. Unfuck Your Year is a perpetual planner with themed months to help you unfuck your life. Features weekly activities in Dr. Faith Harper's frank style to address a different topic each month, including anxiety, addiction, anger, depression and more. Also includes mood and period trackers, and space for you to set monthly goals along with plenty of achievable suggestions to get you on the right track.
  
• Beyond Manifestation: A 31-Day Guided Journal to Transform Your Life Through Emotional Awareness from School of Life Design
  Find contentment and discover profound freedom from stress and anxiety within this 31-day interactive workbook and planner. Reflect and ground yourself in the moment in these highly visual, calming pages. The School of Life Design, creators of Monthly Manifestation Manual and Monthly Magickal Record, show you that presence is key to attracting what you desire and finding true peace, love, and happiness. Embrace the infinite Now and see that life already is the way you want it to be. When you feel life is perfect, it has no choice but to show you evidence.
  
• Year of the Witch: A Planner and Spellbook for the Novice Witch by Francesca Black and Gregory Eales
  Magic is the ever-present energy around us, and it can be used to create and manifest the things we want in our lives. By living with our intentions and the moon’s guiding energy, we can align ourselves with this energy and live our best lives, creating our narratives and movement along the way. And with each step we take, we are closer to our authentic selves. If you're new to witchcraft, this guide will walk you through your first year, serving as an introductory guidebook, a planner, and a space to take notes and creatively expand your knowledge and build a practice.
  
• Tarot Through the Witch's Year: 33 Spreads for Spiritual Connection by Karen Krebser
  Explore the spiritual patterns of the Tarot with this collection of spreads based on the pagan Wheel of the Year. Readers, novice and proficient alike, are invited to dive headfirst into the spirituality involved in the witch’s year and to approach divine energy as it moves us and the Great Wheel around. The thirty-three spreads include layouts, images, diagrams, and sample readings for the four equinoxes and solstices, the four cross-quarter days, thirteen full moons, and twelve dark moons. See your year through new eyes, finding deeper meanings and a greater sense of connectedness.

The One Creating a Way Through

Make a Zine. They're banning books and restricting access to some really great resources, so make a zine instead. Zines are great ways to distribute ideas and art, plus you have the added bonus of the fact that "they" basically don't know zines exist.

• The Wayward Writer: Summon Your Power to Take Back Your Story, Liberate Yourself from Capitalism, and Publish Like a Superstar by Ariel Gore
  When your dream and creative passion is to write, how do you succeed without selling out or selling yourself short? Ariel Gore has spent her life solving this puzzle, writing and organizing her way towards a creative utopian vision, where storytelling is a form of resistance and writing is an outsider art. Through her own experiences and interviews with other authors, publishers, and agents, she shows you how to chart your own creative education, vanquish shame and imposter syndrome, cast off oppression, cast a spell on your readers, step into your unique powers, and build your own literary community where respect and honesty reign—and where you can be a writer and survive.
  
• From Chaos to Creativity: Building a Productivity System for Artists and Writers by Jessie L. Kwak
  With all the clutter overwhelming your scattered brain (not to mention your desk), it's all too easy to fall into procrastination and disarray. From Chaos to Creativity is a glowing beacon, drawing on Jessie L. Kwak's experience as a professional copywriter with a novel-writing habit, and from interviews with other authors, artists, musicians, and designers, to teach you how to focus on the good ideas, manage your project, make time in your life, and execute your passions to completion. Make great art by channeling your chaotic creative force into productive power and let the world see what you're capable of!
  
• Creative, Not Famous Activity Book: An Interactive Idea Generator for Small Potatoes & Others Who Want to Get Their Ayuss in Gear by Ayun Halliday
  Are you a small potato, pursuing your creative passions without expectations of fame or fortune? This playful workbook is designed to help adults with years of creative experience explore unconsidered art forms, amp up your creative approach, and wrangle your personal triumphs into a sustained and fulfilling practice. An exuberant, hilarious, and fun guide for anyone ready to subvert creative business and branding advice and realize a deeper relationship with their own uniquely weird and wonderful creativity.
  
• Smiling Disease: A Guide to Public Stickering by Scott Larkin
  Have you ever dreamed of plastering the city with stickers of your own design and annoying the crap out of squares? Here is a your chance: A complete guide to placing adhesive decorations in places where the general populace will see them. Everything from how to get the best stickers printed, to going undetected, some theory, stickering scruples, and dealing with the full psychological ramifications of having your stickers removed. Clear Channel posts their ads everywhere, why shouldn't you?

The One Starting an Underground Healthcare Collective

For the one on your list that is (rightfully) riled up and ready to fight, we have Get Your Laws Off My Uterus pack. The boxset combines some of our favorite resources on reproductive care, including Hot Pants, How to Get Your Period, Reclaiming Our Ancient Wisdom, and more. For those ahead of the game, we have the Ask Me About Menstrual Extraction sticker!

• Get Your Laws Off My Uterus Superpack
  Ever since reproductive choice was legalized in the US in 1973, factions have been trying to strip the right to safe, legal abortions by any means necessary. Lately, they're getting their way. Fuck that noise. We'll keep fighting back, armed with the lessons of history. Read up with these zines and books both about organizing and finding abortion access, and learning the medical procedures so we can make informed choices about what to do with our own bodies. And, of course, taking care of ourselves and each other. 
  
• How to Afford Your Damn Meds: A Burned-Out Nurse's Guide by Kenra Brewer, BSN, RN-BC
  Got a prescription you can't afford to fill? Ever had to choose between your medications and groceries? Have you scrimped on dosages in order to squeak through to the end of the month? Kenra's a registered nurse, and she's written this helpful, affirming guide to empower American patients by providing actionable steps to take in their quest to afford their meds in our dumpster fire of a healthcare system. Some of the steps are basic reminders of your own agency and advocacy; others are arcane systemic workarounds not widely known to the general public. 
  
• Sick: A Compilation Zine on Physical Illness edited by Ben Holtzman
  Sick collects peoples' experiences with illness in order to help establish a collective voice of those impacted within radical/left/DIY communities. The zine is meant to be a resource for those who are living with illness as well as those who have not directly experienced it themselves. Contributors discuss personal experiences and topics such as receiving support, providing support, and being an informed patient. These writings are meant to increase understandings of illness and further discussion as well as action towards building communities of care.
  
• Primitive Toothcare: A DIY Guide to Uncivilized Oral Hygiene by Rowan Gangulfr
  Fed up with stealing toothpaste and rubbing synthetic nylon all over his face, Rowan Gangulfr decided to explore alternative options for taking care of his teeth, gums, and mouth. He discovered that primitive tooth care was surprisingly easy and effective, and it gives one the sense of empowerment that comes with reclaiming control of one’s body and health. So, are you tired of industrial dentistry? Try the ancient and time-proven methods present within this zine.

The One Gardening, Preserving, and Doing it Themself

Got someone interested in sustainability and DIY? Make it Last has a brand new paperback edition that includes a new forward, info on soapmaking, and the classic tips on mending, preserving, and repair that have made the book a Microcosm classic.

• Make It Last: Sustainably and Affordably Preserving What We Love by Raleigh Briggs
  An illustrated guide to clothes and food and home. Briggs bridges the gap between life in a disposable culture and the basic skills needed to save money and live more sustainably. This book teaches you how to extend the lives of the things you love by repairing clothing, preserving home-grown food, and even repairing your kitchen sink and making your own soap. Briggs takes her longtime commitment to community building through the DIY movement and shares her valuable experience with the reader through a conversational tone in her hand-drawn and -illustrated guide.
  
• Homesweet Homegrown: How to Grow, Make, And Store Food, No Matter Where You Live by Robyn Jasko and Jennifer Biggs
  A simple DIY guide to growing, storing, and making your own food, no matter where you live, Jasko and Biggs' debut book will turn you into a healthy, happy farmer even if you live in a big city skyrise. Built around eight comprehensive sections (Know, Start, Grow, Plant, Plan, Make, Eat, and Store), this guide walks you through all the steps of successfully nurturing a crop of delicious, healthy vegetables. Everyone from the base beginner to the seasoned farmhand will find something for them in these pages.
  
• Fugitive Gardens by Claire Tuna
  Even if you live in a big, dirty city, you can grow your own lush herb and vegetable garden year-round. Claire walks you through the basics of fire escape gardening, like choosing containers, soil, landlords, pests, and making sure your fire escape can still be safely used in case of a fire. She offers a planting calendar tuned to New York City's climate and then offers detailed advice for growing tomatoes, herbs, peas, cucumbers, strawberries, and more. Finally she offers several blueprints and profiles of real-life NYC fire escape gardens. Evocative line drawings by Sheila Lin will help you envision your escape from mass-produced food networks!
  
• This Is Your Bike on Plants: Fantastical Feminist Stories of Bicycling, Gardens, and Growth edited by Elly Blue
  When you plant the seeds of bicycle revolution, you never know what the future will grow. These 12 stories form a splendid garden of potential futures, from the speculative to the surreal—all powered by bicycles, grounded in feminism, and blossoming with creativity. In these pages you’ll find activist trees, magical flowers, feminist fairy tales, climate parables, photosynthesizing human-bicycle cyborgs, revolutionary elves, dazzling space gardens, green witchcraft, and more to delight your imagination. You’ll never see the streets, or plants, around you the same way again.
  
• Bread of the Resistance: How to Make Sourdough Without Measuring by Tessalyn Morrison
  Build your own culture and resist! Tess Morrison walks you through how to make sourdough bread, as well as a few other recipes that use fermentation, in a straightforward, understanding, and measurement-free guide with wonderful, clear illustrations showing every step. In the process of making bread from scratch, with your own starter, your own hands, and your own time, you will find that making bread is not only an act of creation, but an act of resistance against consumer culture and a society that has devalued quality and tradition in favor of convenience.

The One Unionizing Their Workplace

A worker-owned co-op is the ultimate group project. Owning the Means of Production is a small but mighty zine full of tools to help you get a co-op up and running, based on the experiences of the Jefferson People's House in Duluth, Minnesota. You can also help your gift recipient show their support for co-ops or their Bartleby stance with stickers.

• Owning the Means of Production: Pocket Lessons for Your Own Worker Co-op! by Allen Killian-Moore
  Have you ever thought about founding and running a successful worker-owned co-op? It takes more than just getting together with some friends and agreeing to share the work and profits. A business—even a small, unconventional one—requires planning, structure, and good business sense. Based on the trials and tribulations of the Jefferson People's House in Duluth, Minnesota, this guide will provide you with the tools to help start your own co-op. 
  
• How to Resist Amazon and Why: The Fight for Local Economics, Data Privacy, Fair Labor, Independent Bookstores, and a People-Powered Future! by Danny Caine
  Danny Caine, former owner of Raven Book Store in Lawrence, Kansas has been an outspoken critic of the seemingly unstoppable Goliath of the bookselling world: Amazon. Here he lays out the case for shifting our personal money and civic investment away from global corporate behemoths and to small, local, independent businesses. Well-researched and lively, his tale covers the history of big box stores, the big political drama of delivery, and the perils of warehouse work interspersed with charming personal anecdotes from bookstore life, making this a readable, fascinating, essential book for the 2020s.
  
• Punching Out: Solidarity on the Factory Floor by Martin Glaberman
  In 1952 Marty Glaberman was a Detroit autoworker who had participated in wildcat strikes and UAW union policing of the workforce. After witnessing a series of workers who were promoted to steward and become ineffective negotiators, Glaberman had a realization. He had been an autoworker since before unionization in 1937 but consistently watched promoted workers turn against their own as they were promoted. Why? The question that has been asked in every coal mine, worker shop, ship in port, steel mill, and auto plant was forever: was it selfish betrayal or bureaucracy that killed any prospects of solidarity in even the most active union worker?

The One Learning from the Past

People have been resisting, fighting, and creating throughout history. Firebrands will introduce you to activists and changemakers you probably didn't learn about in school (great for a history nerd, or someone looking for inspiration) while the CIA Makes Science Fiction Unexciting series is full of juicy revelations that may change someone's view on past and current events.

• Firebrands: Activists You Didn't Learn About in School edited by Shaun Slifer and Bec Young
  Instead of focusing on the powerful, rich white folks so often featured in textbooks, these gorgeous portraits with accompanying biographies recognize the work of grassroots organizers, revolutionaries, visionaries, anarchists, workers, and artists. These heroes put their bodies and souls into fighting injustice and making their communities better, and they often gave their lives for the causes they believed in. Each story is vividly illustrated by a member of Justseeds Artists' Cooperative and offers a radical glimpse into how individuals can work to change the world.
  
• Burning Rage of a Dying Planet: The FBI vs. the Earth Liberation Front by Craig Rosenbraugh
  Since 1997, the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) has waged brazen property damage and arson attacks against entities they hold responsible for environmental destruction, including timber companies, ski resorts, and car dealerships. In this revised and updated new edition of Burning Rage of a Dying Planet, former ELF spokesperson Craig Rosebraugh charts the history and ideology of the ELF, as well as the repression strategies the government uses to destroy activist movements, in this illuminating insider account of the ongoing battle between radical environmentalists and the powers of the state.
  
• What the Ladies Have to Say: Voices of Women Activists in Palestine, Indonesia, and the Philippines
  Extensive interviews with female activists from the early 2000s, detailing the way that U.S. imperialism has personally affected them as well as destabilizing their countries. An incredible resource providing unique perspective and insight on international struggles for solidarity with women, prisoners and other oppressed populations.
  
• The Burning Lies: Witches, Radical Feminists, and Nazis by R.J. Gillis
  In recent times, advocates and feminists have come to the defense of witches and those accused of witchcraft, hoping to rectify the most egregious wrongs. Unfortunately, sometimes the facts get lost in the effort. In a 1984 essay—published in Trouble & Strife, a radical feminist magazine—titled “Enemies of God or Victims of Patriarchy?,” Lynette Mitchell writes: “I have read the most fantastically inflated statistics of witch-hunt victims in all sorts of feminist journals, magazines and books." This zine attempts to answer Mitchell’s implied question: How did we end up thinking that nine million women were executed as witches?

The One Who Knows Queer Joy Is an Act of Resistance

The rhetoric about trans folks, especially trans kids, is just plain horrible these days. I Love My Queer Kid is a lovely little light in the world, aiming to help caretakers or loved ones of queer kids help understand, support, and advocate for their kid. Help make the world a safer space for queer folks, especially youth.

• I Love My Queer Kid: A Workbook to Affirm and Support Your LGBTQ+ Child or Teen by Marc Campbell, LMHC
  
• This workbook is for parents and other caretakers whose child or young adult has come out as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, or any other queer identity. It includes nine weeks of accessible, thoughtful exercises designed to help you gain perspective, challenge your assumptions and fears, and better understand and connect with your kid. Drawing on his experience as a licensed mental health counselor working with queer youth and their families, Marc Campbell provides resources and real help for parents. The world may not always be kind to queer kids, but your home and family can be, and that makes all the difference.
  
• Gay Sailor Tattoos by R.J. Gillis
  It wasn't always a breeze to find lovers on the high seas, and we don't have many sources about sailors who desired their shipmates. But what we do have are tattoo designs—still recognizable in today's traditional tattooing styles—which sailors used to communicate their origins, status, and sexuality while on ship or shore. Gay Sailor Tattoos gives us a look into the lives of queer men, who, despite the dangers and difficulties of the sailing life, found freedom in their relationships and bodily expression. This thoughtful and well-researched zine brings together historical and visual details about the lives (lustful and otherwise) of sailors at the height of the seafaring profession, and their enduring cultural influence.
  
• The Transmasculine Guide to Physical Transition: For Trans, Nonbinary, and Other Masculine Folks by Sage Buch
  This in-depth exploration of all aspects of physical transition is an accessible and supportive guide for transgender men, transmasculine people, and nonbinary people. Drawing on their personal experience and extensive research, Sage Buch walks you through a wide array of safe transition options. Medical research and jargon is made accessible, side effects and pros and cons are clearly spelled out, and empowering perspectives help you consider what transition path is right for you.
  
• Boobs Not Bombs: Produce Your Own Transdermal Estrogen from the Fairy Wings Collective
  Treat your hormone needs safely and privately with the help of this guide to making and taking your own topical estrogen—no doctors, tests, or needles involved! In this zine, the fine folks at the Fairy Wings Collective share the trials and successes of their own experiments in pooling resources to create estrogen treatment that can be externally applied and absorbed through the skin. They walk you through the process for crafting and using transdermal estrogen, noting estimated expenses, secure communication practices, dosing protocols, and more. Seize the means of estrogen production with this informative, supportive, and community-minded approach to bodily autonomy!
  
• Next-Level Ally: How to Support Your Queer and Transgender Friends by Eli Sachse
  If you've ever felt like you're not doing enough to support the queer and trans communities, this zine is a great way to learn how to do more. Be a supportive advocate and speak up, even when it's hard, learn how not to overstep, and de-gender your day-to-day language.

The One You Don't Know How to Shop For

Whether they don’t like gifts or have read just about everything we have, you can always hook them up with a gift certificate, our BFF subscription, or even donate books to incarcerated folks in their honor.

Thanks for tuning in to this year's Microcosm Gift Guide! You can browse last year's, too, if you'd like. If you need other recommendations or have any questions, feel free to get in touch! Wishing you and your people a happy, hearty, and liberatory holiday season <3

Call for Submissions for Neurodiversity zine series

Farewell to Joyce Brabner: Microcosm remembers a beloved author and mentor

Microcosm Publishing founder Joe Biel recently shared a remembrance of his close friend, mentor, respected comic artist and writer, and Cleveland publishing legend Joyce Brabner, who died August 2, 2024 after a long fight with cancer. She was 72 years old. 

Though Brabner is perhaps best known through her marriage to comics pioneer and American Splendor creator Harvey Pekar, she was herself an esteemed artist, activist, and writer, publishing numerous books of her own alongside collaborations with other graphic publishing luminaries such as Alan Moore, Denny O’Neil, and Stephen R. Bissette.

Brabner’s final published book was The Courage Party: Helping Our Resilient Children Understand and Survive Sexual Assault, a project of great importance to her which Microcosm published in 2020 at the very beginning of the COVID crisis. This groundbreaking YA comic book tells the story of a child who fights off a sexual attack (she prefers to be called a “crime fighter” over “survivor”) and the support she receives from her community, including an empowering “courage party” thrown for her by older women with their own stories to share. The book contains thorough and age-appropriate insights on how to navigate interactions with police, the legal system, support groups, and how to deal with teasing and inappropriate behavior from peers; it also offers extensive resources both for children and adults.

Detailed obituaries for Brabner have appeared in Cleveland Scene and Cleveland 13 News. Microcosm mourns the loss of Joyce Brabner as a friend, a Cleveland fixture, a fierce activist, and a publishing visionary.

Microcosm expands Cleveland warehousing operation

Microcosm Publishing has purchased the building adjacent to their Cleveland, OH warehouse, where construction is currently underway to connect the two buildings. This major project will double Microcosm’s warehousing capacity, as well as create an additional sales capacity of $5 million per year to serve the needs of Microcosm’s vertically-integrated publishing and distribution operation, which earned their recognition in 2022, 2023, and 2024 as a Publishers Weekly Fastest Growing Publisher.

Microcosm develops agile new systems for publishing and distribution programs

Microcosm Publishing has developed new internal buying, sales, and marketing systems for their publishing and distribution catalogs, tailoring their efforts across all departments to work more flexibly, efficiently, and more responsively to reader taste and customer demand.

With an eye toward seasonality as well as prioritizing curiosity and steady growth over quick trends, Microcosm’s new strategy will allow the press’s operations to focus on and more keenly track its strengths, such as titles on nature, the outdoors, and survival; mental health and neurodiversity; witchcraft, astrology, and metaphysics; mushrooms, gardening, wild foods, and more. Microcosm founder, publisher, and CEO Joe Biel explains, “We're adjusting our strategy to focus on subjects by month; essentially, we are treating all months like holidays to synchronize our sales, marketing, and purchasing departments, so the offerings are streamlined. This will allow us to accentuate the strength of our thematics and create a throughline from marketing to sales, and to manage the over 10,000 stores we added as customers over the past four years.”

Says Microcosm co-owner and vice president Elly Blue, “We've set aside publishing's cynical tendencies to chase bestsellers or churn out large quantities of dreck. Instead we're staying true to our values while serving the diverse needs and interests of our readers. We spent the past year running the numbers on what subject matter our customers want so we can give them more of that and evolve along with their interests, while building up our stable foundation to support our workers and mission. Want to go mushroom foraging by bicycle and then prepare a vegan feast? Start a co-operative coven consultancy? Get high, get sober, or get help turning your trauma into wisdom? We've got you."