Posts By: microcosm

The Essential Dr. Faith: Using Science to Boost Your Brain, Body, Intimacy, and Boundaries

If you’re like most of us, there’s more than one aspect of your life that could use some unfucking. More often than not, the challenges of mental health, physical health, boundaries, sex, and relationships are tied together in a big, overwhelming tangle. And when it comes to sorting ourselves out, it’s hard to know where to begin.

But take heart: this comprehensive resource from bestselling author Dr. Faith G. Harper makes that process a whole lot easier. Combining the tools and insights from four of her most essential titles—Unfuck Your Brain, Unfuck Your Body, Unfuck Your Intimacy, and Unfuck Your Boundaries—this omnibus empowers you to tackle all parts of your life on your way to becoming your best self. If you’re new to Dr. Faith’s work, this is the perfect introduction to her accessible, funny, science-based approach to getting your act together.

This Is Your Bike on Plants: Fantastical Feminist Stories of Bicycling, Gardens, and Growth

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. Lovers of cli-fi, solarpunk, hopepunk, and feminist bicycle science fiction will all find something to love here. You’ll never see the streets, or plants, around you the same way again.

Featuring stories by Kathryn Reilly, Marta Pelrine-Bacon, Cass Wilkinson Saldaña, Amanda McNeil, Ella P. Francis, Lisa Timpf, Bee Toothman, Kelley Tai, Jennifer Lee Rossman, J.D. Harlock, Kathryn Reese, and Joe Biel.

Missed the Kickstarter? Check out the PledgeManager for all the rewards and extras!

A People’s Guide to Houseplants: Thrifty, Sustainable Ways to Fill Your Home with Plants

Want to fill your home with lush greenery? You can do it without breaking the bank or your back. Cara Brezina shares her love of plants and offers advice on how to choose, nurture, and not kill the houseplants in your life—all without spending a bunch of money. With the help of clear illustrations and straightforward instructions, learn to find free or affordable plants and herbs; propagate from cuttings, roots, and your dinner scraps; create dazzling displays, cactus gardens, and terrariums on a budget; find sustainable planting materials; and fertilize your plants without spending big. Discover the joy of experimentation and seeing what you can make grow. No matter where you live, how broke you are, or how hectic your life is, you can turn your home into a green oasis and make lasting friends with your houseplants.

What is book editing (and how do I do it right)? | A People’s Guide to Publishing

Book editing! Surely it’s easy, right? Especially if you’re someone who has read like, a lot of books. Nope! This week Joe and Elly talk book editing, why it’s a technical skill, and how to do it right.

(This is a re-broadcast of an episode from 2019, if you’re like “why are Joe and Elly talking about their outfits from last week? That’s not what they wore last week.”)

Prefer an audio experience? Listen to the episode on your favorite podcast app.
Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
Want to stay up to date on new podcast episodes and happenings at Microcosm? Subscribe to our newsletter!

Books That Should Never Exist: A Coloring Book of the Best Worst Book Ideas Ever

Everyday Vampirism

Gross-out Popsicles

Erotic Christmas Tree Decorating

Vice Presidential Fashion Advice

Never Pay a Dentist Again! 

These books are so bad they’re brilliant—and they’ll never exist (we hope), except in these fully developed, engagingly detailed, laugh-out-loud coloring pages. Here you’ll find board books for babies seeking government and regulatory jobs, large-print guides to unwise retirement strategies, ill-advised memoirs, and unlikely beach reads. It’s the perfect collection of gifts not to get the whole family, but as a gift for yourself, it’s bound to bring joy.

Make It Last: Sustainably and Affordably Preserving What We Love

Fix it, ferment it, and make it fit—don’t throw it out! Save money and live more sustainably with this illustrated and hand-written guide to extending the life of your clothes, good, and household items. Darn your socks, pickle your surplus of garden produce, repair your kitchen sink, and so much more. Sustainability and endangered basic life skills go hand in hand in this charming resource. Raleigh Briggs, author of the bestselling Make Your Place, brings an encouraging patience and can-do attitude that shine through the pages. The perfect gift for a teen or new graduate, or resource for an established adult looking to consume less and keep the things they love around for years to come. 

Houseplants & How to Grow Them

This guide to growing your own houseplants and decorating your living space touches on popular plants and the simplest and most effective ways to nurture them. Author Parker T. Barnes writes effusively about how the sight of houseplants fills him with joy, and ebulliently shares deep knowledge about Dutch bulbs and Cape bulbs and the lighting and moisture conditions to cultivate them and offers sage advice on everything from how to construct planters, to maintaining a healthy temperature, to reviving ailing plants. Originally published in 1909, Barnes’ little book is comprehensive and friendly. Readers will enjoy the classic style of the writing, as well as the timeless quality of the suggestions Barnes makes for turning your home into a verdant paradise.

Why Are So Many Books So Mediocre? | A People’s Guide to Publishing

A reader asks a very straightforward question— why are so many books so mediocre? Is it a new trend? How do we measure quality?

Jane Friedman of the Hot Sheet joins us again this week to find the answers!

Prefer an audio experience? Listen to the episode on your favorite podcast app.
Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
Want to stay up to date on new podcast episodes and happenings at Microcosm? Subscribe to our newsletter!

Disabled Witchcraft: 90 Rituals for Limited-Spoon Practitioners

Accessible, inclusive, anti-capitalist magick

Magick is all around us and should be for everyone. But the practices in many witchcraft books can be difficult for many of us to perform due to chronic illnesses, sensory issues, allergies, or other disabilities—and the financial limitations that often go hand in hand with them.

In this guide, disabled witch Kandi Zeller sets out to change that. Through 90 inclusive (and sometimes spicy) magickal rituals designed for witches with disabilities of all kinds—especially the invisible ones—Disabled Witchcraft lays out a truly accessible magickal practice with a solid dose of humor and heart. If your spoons (aka available energy and executive function) are limited on any given day, that doesn’t need to be a hindrance to following your spiritual path. From guidance on using crystals for nervous-system regulation to tarot readings for spoonies to laying a curse upon unjust health systems, you’ll find practical tools to harness the magick of your disabilities, fight both ableism and capitalism, and embrace a more expansive version of the path.

Disabled Witchcraft Q&A

A conversation with author Kandi Zeller

What inspired you to write your book?

As a disabled person, I wanted to create a resource that could serve as an accessible, adaptable grimoire for other witchy spoonies, drawing from my own experiences. Disabled Witchcraft is really more about starting the conversation rather than being the end of it. 

What was it like to publish with Microcosm?

It was a great experience. Everyone was communicative and committed to making the book the best it could be, and it’s always been a dream of mine to publish a book. I’m really honored to have had this opportunity to work with the team to create a resource so close to my heart.

What was the submission/query process like for you?

I really appreciated how detailed the submissions guidelines were. That helped me figure out how to create an outline from my idea and set a good foundation for the book. 

What else have you written?

I have a weekly Substack newsletter called All The Threads, which is a place where I write about random, whimsical practices at the intersections of spirituality, creativity, and justice. 

What are you currently reading? 

A lot of graphic novels and zines. My TBR is always ridiculously long. I recently finished Fangs by Sarah Andersen and Kim Reaper: Grim Beginnings by Sarah Graley, and both were adorable. 

What’s the best book you read in the last year?

So hard to choose, but my favorite was probably Batcat by Meggie Ramm. Such a sweet adventure story with queer overtones and just a dash of spooky vibes. 

What’s next for you? 

I’m working on a little horror poetry zine about my experience of growing up in a high-control religious environment, using the lens of monster myth. It’s just the kind of nerdiness I enjoy in my spare time!

Want to keep reading? Check out Disabled Witchcraft: 90 Rituals for Limited-Spoon Practitioners by Kandi Zeller, out now!

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