Microcosm Publishing is founding a new imprint, Yard Dragon Books, focused on titles about plants and herbalism. Acquisitions for the imprint will be led by editor, herbalist, and artist Alexis Orgera.
Orgera (she/they) is the author of the lyric memoir Head Case: My Father, Alzheimer’s & Other Brainstorms (Kore Press, 2021), as well as poetry books How Like Foreign Objects and Dust Jacket, and Agatha (forthcoming) from Jackleg Press. She holds degrees in British & American literature from New College of Florida (before New College was taken over by DeSantis and his goons) and poetry from Emerson College. Orgera is an editor, has taught college writing, co-founded and edited Penny Candy Books, and is was recently executive director of Greensboro Bound literary festival. A student and practitioner of herbal medicine and permaculture in North Carolina’s piedmont, Orgera is currently apprentice to the land on a quarter-acre plot in an urban flood zone and uses ecology, permaculture design principles, regenerative practices, eco-philosophy, ethnobotany, the history of medicine and healing, and herbal studies in both her writing and gardening life.
Alexis Orgera
Of the new imprint, Orgera writes, “I’m a better person because of plants. Herbalism and permaculture have taught me how better to listen to the world around me and to deeply respect balance—in myself, in nature, and in the relationship between people and our landscape. To be able to share the green life with readers, combining my passion for plants with my vocation of book-making and editing, is really a dream come true, and doing so with Microcosm—a publisher that really cares about its readers—is even better.”
More information on submitting work to the imprint can be found here.
Microcosm Publishing is thrilled to announce that we will serve as the first-ever distributor for Chickasaw Press, the only publishing house in the U.S. owned by an Indigenous Nation. Based in Ada, Oklahoma, Chickasaw Press’s goal is to preserve, perpetuate, and provide an awareness of Chickasaw history and culture. The press offers a literary, scholarly, and accessible outlet for the work of Chickasaw authors, academics, and culture bearers, exercising intellectual sovereignty through ethical and culturally appropriate research and publication practices.
The agreement with Microcosm encompasses the Chickasaw Nation’s three publishing imprints: Chickasaw Press, focused on nonfiction titles about tribal history, culture, self-governance, and sovereignty; White Dog Press, a fiction imprint devoted to sharing Chickasaw culture, experiences, and history through creative works; and Leaning Pole Press, a scholarly outlet for Chickasaw writers and academics to explore subjects beyond the Chickasaw historical and cultural experience.
Picture book Mission to Space by Chickasaw astronaut John HerringtonNovel Little Bird by Chickasaw author Mary Ruth Barnes
Microcosm founder Joe Biel writes, “The broad array of rad books that Chickasaw creates along with their incredible mission fits like a puzzle piece into ours, where we can help them reach more readers with their history, culture, nation, and culinary delights. When they approached us, I was humbled and honored, and the more I learn about their press, the more those sentiments deepen.”
Chickasaw Press titles will be available to order via Microcosm in November 2024.
Microcosm has created its own custom shipping boxes, featuring a spoof of a certain Seattle-based company’s logo and images of several employees’ cats, produced by International Paper based in Memphis, Tennessee. Microcosm regularly receives feedback from its bookstore customers praising its warehouse shippers’ packing skills, so it only seemed right to get boxes to match their acumen—and to express Microcosm’s cheeky and fiercely independent ethos anywhere its books are sent.
Cleveland warehouse manager Drew shares the new boxesMicrocosm boxes and Dr. Faith titles seen at Fabulosa Books on CBS News.
Maybe you even glimpsed our new boxes (and a few of our titles!) in the recent CBS Weekend News piece on fighting book bans, featuring the amazing Fabulosa Books.
Says Microcosm founder Joe Biel, “We created custom boxes, and the paper plant we’d been working with in Oregon refused to print our anti-Amazon artwork. Our number one customer complaint was our use of boxes from ULINE—a company that doesn’t align with our values anyway—so we switched to custom boxes that are of a superior quality in celebration of how many booksellers praise our warehouse employees’ box-packing superpowers.”
Arthur (bowtie) is the kitten of Drew, our Cleveland warehouse manager.
And Walter (tuxedo) is the colleague of a former employee who posted a picture of him in that funny position on our Slack, which got more comments than any other post on our company Slack and became an emoji, a meme, and even an enamel pin.
Biel and Microcosm vice president Elly Blue discuss the decision making, design, and Oregon vs. Ohio politics behind the new boxes in this recent episode of Microcosm’s People’s Guide to Publishing podcast.
The publishing industry invests heavily in the logic that a new book hits hard out of the gate, has a third of its total sales before it’s published, a third of its sales in the following year, and the final third gradually across the lifetime of the book, until it gradually saturates and dead stalls. So this week on the pod, we look at how to make books sell forever.
Hot dog, they’re back! Don’t say love’s so heavy that it can’t return to make you laugh, cry, and sigh with blood and tears and gleeful reverence. Everyone’s favorite aging punk odd couple lights up the page once more in the first all-new Henry & Glenn floppy comic in a decade. Inside you’ll find “I Don’t Want to be Buried,” the first chapter of a brand new story written and drawn by Tom Neely. In this chapter, our squabbling, loving heroes have adopted a new cat they named Iggy. Iggy and Henry become best friends, but Glenn has A LOT of trouble connecting with the new kitty. Also, Henry gets cast in a new movie directed by Jon Twaters; so Glenn gets left home alone with Iggy… and it does not go well! You’ll also find a retrospective of Henry & Glenn lore and collectibles, and an all-true comic short, “True Tale of Henry & Glenn,” featuring the time Tom sat on a plane next to the drummer for Samhain. Plus a cameo from Henry and Glenn’s neighbors Daryl and John and some spicy new pin-ups, including a back cover pin-up by Justin Hall! Feel it move you! In full-color for the first time!
It’s a jungle out there, folks! The cosmic weather has been uniquely disruptive these past few months and it looks like the universe isn’t taking its foot off the gas til after the votes are cast and tallied. So now’s as good a time as any: take a deep breath, unclench your jaw, lie on the floor if you need to—then dig into this selection of stuff we’ve picked out to help you support your nervous system, feel your feelings, and get through yet another election cycle together. Shop the full list (with more stickers and pins and decks) or read on for a sampling below!
Being wrong—and realizing it, admitting it, making amends, and learning and moving on—is one of the most difficult life skills out there. Childhood friends Nicole and Jason reunited as adults and teamed up to produce this neatly illustrated, interactive zine that walks you through what it means to be wrong, what to do when you are wrong, and how to help others be wrong too. Got a group of friends, a book club, or a few local politicians you think could use the zine? We have bundles now!
Anxiety can control your life with a tight grip. Get yourself free with these exercises and worksheets designed to help you identify, manage, and ultimately calm your anxiety, be it stress that ebbs and flows or constant, chronic panic. Work through this book either by itself or as a companion to Dr. Faith G. Harper’s bestselling Unfuck Your Anxiety to learn basic tools for surviving moments of panic as well as longer-term problem solving.
Sometimes anxiety gets us in the zone of reading about it when we could be being about it, you know? So check out the book-book, but the workbook might be an extra good fit for our needs these days. —DF
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.
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. Fuck that noise. 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. This wraparound sleeve holds two books and five zines.
If you feel irritable all the time, or if your rage is getting the best of you, take a deep breath and open this book. A standalone companion to Unfuck Your Anger by the inimitable Dr. Faith, this workbook is packed with helpful exercises, worksheets, and opportunities for reflection. In these pages, you’ll learn practical skills like meditation, communication, and breathing, and you’ll find a special model for understanding and embracing forgiveness in order to heal old wounds. Let your pent-up frustration go and turn your righteous anger into healthy, helpful fuel for treating yourself and others well, seeking justice, and living the life you want.
Spend a month manifesting your greatest desires and potential. This planner and workbook gives you 31 days’ worth of exercises for rewiring your brain to create new patterns of thoughts and actualizing your intentions and dreams. Perfect for when you’re stuck at work or in love, out of touch with your emotions, angry, anxious, afraid, or depressed, or feel like you’re hurtling down the wrong path in life too fast. Jessica Mullen and Kelly Cree’s dreamy designs and potent exercises are tested and true methods for getting yourself back on the path to living the life you want.
Remember that ‘Oh shit’ moment you had at your first protest? Or maybe you’ve been avoiding the news and your social feed; you want to get out there and be involved but you don’t even know where to start with the shit-show of our current state of affairs. How Not to Get Arrested is a zine full of illustrations, checklists, and thoroughly researched survival tips for the beginner demonstrator and the seasoned activist.
Stressed? Hell yeah, you are. Dr. Faithis here to help. This book offers strategies for coping with intense feelings and overwhelm in the moment and for shifting distress into helpful motivation, excitement, and action. Dr. Faith also walks us through understanding our physiological stress response (not inherently a bad thing!) and what happens when it turns into chronic stress and adrenal fatigue. Full of practical advice for understanding and managing your own stress response so that you can find solid ground and feel excited and engaged with your life again.
You published a book! Congrats! But… now what? How do you get your book in stores and libraries? Smoke signals? Pigeons? The answer is, as always, both simpler and more complex than you would think.
Get the People’s Guide to Publishinghere, and the workbook here! Want to stay up to date on new podcast episodes and happenings at Microcosm? Subscribe to our newsletter!
Get the People’s Guide to Publishinghere, 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 Practitionersis a one-of-a-kind approach to truly accessible magickal practices with a solid dose of humor and heart. The author, beloved Microcosm editor Kandi Zeller, shares some of her favorite reads and companion titles for her groundbreaking book. Check out Kandi’s recommendations below!
Shop the list, read an excerptfrom Disabled Witchcraft, ororder your copy today—shipping from us now, available everywhere September 17!
Ruby, a service dog who gave author Joe Biel mobility, health, and companionship through the most difficult years of their life, had many things to learn during her humble beginnings. This comic details the process for training a medical alert service dog, as well as other types of service dogs, the responsibility of their handlers for these lessons, and how these incredible dogs learn their skills. Service dogs are heartwarming signs of success as well as each one is a thrilling story of a successful struggle for basic human rights, and a powerful lesson in what humans and dogs can achieve by working together.
In this book, bestselling author Dr. Faith Harper offers a full understanding of issues of boundaries and consent, how we can communicate and listen more effectively, and how to survive and move on from situations where our boundaries are violated. Along the way, you’ll learn when and how to effectively say “no” (and “yes”), troubleshoot conflict, recognize abuse, and respect your own and others’ boundaries like a pro. You’ll be amazed at how much these skills improve your relationships with friends, strangers, coworkers, and loved ones.
This pocket-sized guide to tarot archetypes will save you the difficulty of carrying around your whole library of reference texts for convenience while conducting readings on the go. With a guide to choosing the right deck for you, suggestions for when and where to perform readings, instructions for your basic three-card draw, and the commonly accepted meanings of different elements in the Major and Minor Arcana, this little zine is a perfect companion to any tarot deck, and can provide novice tarot readers and more experienced practitioners alike with a handy reference.
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.
Drawing on the natural connections between modern paganism and the literary, artistic, and activist movement known as solarpunk, Norton-Kertson 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. Readers will also find a host of spells to use in the fight against climate change, fascism, and inequality. These politically conscious magickal practices forge a new spiritual praxis to guide us as we work together to envision and create the future we want to see.
Welcome to the next installment of the Bookstore Solidarity Project! Every month, we’ll be highlighting indie bookstore owners and booksellers across the country(and beyond!)
After a little break in July for Zine Month, we are BACK with a new store for the Project!
Meet Spoke & Word Books, one of our local indies right nearby in Milwaukie (Oregon, not Wisconsin.) We got to chat with store owner Cierra on the podcast recently about all things bookselling and community, and here’s our other interview with them about the store itself!
Your name and pronouns? Cierra Cook (they/them)
Tell us a little bit about the store and your community. Spoke & Word Books is a new and used community bookshop in Milwaukie, just on the outskirts of Portland, OR.
We’re in historic downtown Milwaukie, which has been a pretty quiet area for a few years. There are some exciting new businesses that’ve opened in the last year or so, including a waste free shop and a new local cafe and grocery. We’re so excited to be a part of a resurgence of activity in downtown Milwaukie. Every community deserves a local bookshop that can curate a selection that serves them specifically.
While we have a broad scope as a community bookshop, including new, used, and children’s, we have a particular focus on genre fiction and queer interest, especially romance. When I was growing up I didn’t see myself in any of the books that were available to me, and now our mission is to make sure everyone has access to books where they can see themselves represented joyfully.
What got you into bookselling? I started Spoke & Word Books as a pop-up shop, and it operated without a permanent location for about a year and a half before we transitioned to a brick and mortar. The idea for a bookstore came when I was doom scrolling towards the end of the pandemic. I remember feeling so lonely and discouraged, and scrolling endlessly online to try and find something good. One night I realized that I could DO SOMETHING good, since it seemed so hard for me to find a lot of positive things happening in my community at the time. I started Spoke & Word Books from my basement, selling new and used books at pop-up events and community festivals once COVID restrictions began to ease up.
It was honestly the perfect time to start a community based business like this. We had all gone through the collective trauma of COVID and the social justice awakening of 2020, and so many of us were looking for community.
A large part of what we do at the bookstore now is intentional community building. We host 2-3 events a week, including standard bookclubs and storytimes, but also oddball events like a release party for Taylor Swift’s new album, craft nights, and a 90’s Sleepover Party just for fun.
People can buy a book literally anywhere, but our goal is to create authentic connection and community that can’t be replaced by a tech company.
How did you choose your store’s name? My husband actually came up with the name Spoke & Word Books. He refurbishes old mountain bikes into gravel bikes, and so Spoke & Word is a combination of each of our passions- biking and reading! It has another meaning as well- one of our earliest ways of explaining what kinds of books we wanted to carry was “books people talk about”. We are drawn to books that help drive discussion and community, whether that’s a book about how to get engaged in your local government (Democracy in Retrograde), or the latest spicy romance (The Pairing).
What’s something about your store that you think will surprise people? In addition to running our bookshop, I’m also a City Councilor in my small city. I think a lot of us came out of 2020 realizing that our time is limited, and that there’s no better time than now to do the work that is important to you. In both my work at the bookshop and as City Councilor, the most important part of the job is making connections and supporting our community.
What are some of you favorite ways your community supports your store? We have an incredible community of readers who have made our store what it is. Our customer support us by sharing reviews and recommending us to their friends, as well as donating books for our used inventory. We just launched a membership program in July that has already had a HUGE impact on our ability to stay solvent. The Milwaukie community has been so wonderfully supportive of the shop, and I’m grateful literally every day I get to come to work.
What are two books you can’t wait for people to read, or your current favorite handsells? The Pairing by Casey McQuiston literally came out the day that I’m writing this, and it’s my favorite book of 2024, hands down. McQuiston is the absolute GOAT of romance, and The Pairing is their best work. It’s about two chaotic bisexuals rampaging through Europe on a food and wine tour, and would be my first recommendation for someone who thinks they don’t like romance (and anyone else too!). In addition to being just categorically one of the best written romances of all time (fight me), one of the main characters of The Pairing is non-binary, and their relationship to their gender and sexuality made me feel so seen. Beautifully written, deliciously queer, and just plain lovely.
I’m also really loving talking to folks about Democracy in Retrograde by Sami Sage and Emily Amick. So many of my customers have been anxious, frustrated, and scared about the presidential election this year. Democracy in Retrograde is part civic engagement primer, part self-help book, and helps people get past the anxiety of the national political landscape and learn how to engage where they can actually make a profound difference- in their local communities. We’re hosting a book club for this book, and my hope is that folks leave with a new inspiration and practical tools for getting involved in their local school board, city, or county leadership.
How can customers who aren’t local shop your shelves and support you? You can support Spoke & Word Books by shopping online at www.spokeandwordbooks.com! We can ship books straight to your home through our partnership with bookshop.org!
Anything else you’d like to share? Thank you so much for the opportunity to share! <3<3<3
Be sure to follow Spoke & Word on their Instagram, Facebook, and Tiktok, and listen to their podcast episode here!
