THE UNVARNISHED GARY PHILLIPS: A Mondo Pulp Collection
by Gary Phillips
“A magnificent collection.” —S. A. Cosby, author, Razorblade Tears
“An incredible read!” —Rachel Howzell Hall, New York Times and Wall Sreet Journal bestselling author
“Few people know pulp like Gary Phillips, who is not only a student of the genre, but a master.” —Alex Segura, author Secret Identity
Award-winning author, screenwriter, and editor Gary Phillips gathers his most thrilling, outlandish, and madcap pulp fiction in an 17-story collection that straddles the line between bizarro, science fiction, noir, and superhero classics. Aztec vampires, astral projecting killers, oxygen stealing bombs, undercover space rangers, aliens occupying Los Angeles, right wing specters haunting the ’hood, masked vigilantes and mad scientists in their underground lairs plotting world domination populate the stories in this rip-snorting collection. In these pages grindhouse melds with blaxploitation along with strong doses of B movie hardcore drive-in fare. READ MORE
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LOVESICK BLOSSOMS: A Novel
by Julia Watts
“One of the most emotionally affecting novels I’ve ever read.” —Jeff Mann, author, Loving Mountains, Loving Men
“A crisp romantic page-turner told with deft wit and great heart.” —Aaron Hamburger, author, Hotel Cuba and Nirvana Is Here
In a small Kentucky college town in 1953, two married women fall madly in love with each other, until a single slip-up in discretion threatens to destroy both their lives. In her new adult novel, award-winning author Julia Watts creates a compelling and emotional tale of passion, power, fulfillment—and consequences—of not playing by the rules in Appalachia. Colleagues and neighbors of Samuel and Boots are more than willing to accept their married status, even though their official relationship is one of convenience that will never be consummated. But when Samuel meets a new professor’s wife, Frances, at a faculty party, she soon falls in love, and learns the difficulty of discretion in a small town—with tragic consequences. LAMBDA award-winning author Julia Watts (Needlework, Quiver) returns to adult fiction in this consummate historical work. READ MORE
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VULGARIAN RHAPSODY: A Novel
by Alvin Orloff
“Orloff’s delightful romp paints a picture that many audiences will find fun and enlightening.” —Library Journal
“A brilliant, scorched, vodka-soaked love letter to the San Francisco queer art scene.” —Mike Albo, author, Another Dimension of US
A whirlwind tour of San Francisco’s fabled queer bohemia in the waning days of the 20th century, as the city’s budget bon vivants work to save their eccentric lifestyles in the face of tech gentrification by LAMBDA award finalist Alvin Orloff. When San Francisco’s most annoying gay barfly, Harris McNulty, is thrown out of his apartment by Maxine, his long-suffering roommate, a crisis ensues. The year is 1999 and cheap rent has suddenly become a thing of the past thanks to a mysterious development people are calling the “dotcom boom”. Unable to rent a place of his own on a telemarketer’s salary, Harris tries to finagle one after another of his deeply bizarre and quasi-dysfunctional friends into letting him share their lodgings. Meanwhile Maxine needs to find a replacement for Harris, which would be a lot easier if she weren’t a frighteningly moody drag-cabaret singer with a small substance abuse problem. Can these marginalized misfits find a place for themselves in their newly hyper-gentrified city? READ MORE
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LIFE IN THE PAST LANE: Poems
by Peter Carlaftes
“These poems take the reader running at a fast clip. Much better than same old descriptions of the down & out.” —Charles Plymell, author, Benzedrine Highway
In his impressive third volume of poetry, Peter Carlaftes digs into the beauty—and lunacy—of contemporary pop culture and its tendency to masque and disrupt the sustainability not just of the planet, but human nature itself, from love and ecstasy to anger and grief. The poems in Life in the Past Lane are both daring and discreet, ranging from full frontal assaults on political and religious cults to tender, discerning, intimate studies of the challenges of self-faith, relationships and maintaining quiet equilibrium in the noisy space of modern life. Risk-taking and endlessly innovative, Life in the Past Lane offers poems that dare to ask questions to which there is no answer, and to answer the unasked. READ MORE
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AWE AND OTHER WORDS LIKE WOW: Poems
by Kat Georges
“A multitude of joys.” —Maw Shein Win, author, Storage Unite for the Spirit House
“Georges is a keen observer of urban life. It’s not that she doesn’t see the grit, but she hears a siren as a soprano.” —Karen Hildebrand, author, Crossing Pleasure Avenue
“This is poetry that pops and flows—rhapsodic, philippic, giddy and wise.” —George Wallace, author, Poppin’ Johnny
In her second poetry collection, Kat Georges consciously searches for joy in a world of growing darkness. She finds it in unexpected places: at the doctor’s office, after being diagnosed with a serious ailment; on the streets of New York, after hearing a young child’s laugh; facing off with noisy neighbors; in a supermarket vegetable section encounter with a philosopher. Her adamant insistence on seeking light in the darkest of places sets her work apart in a media-driven world seeking out the grief and devastation, and provides both solace and inspiration for the reader. These new poems combine humor and deep insight into human nature to capture moments of much-needed wonder and enchantment. READ MORE
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MAINTENANT 17: A Journal of Contemporary Dada Writing and Art
Peter Carlaftes and Kat Georges, editors
“Utilizing a myriad of styles and mediums, artists and writers draw us into a Dada world, the world we are living in, like nothing else . . . . it will blow your mind..” —Home Planet News
“Timely and relevant.” —Tribe LA Magazine
“Proof that Dada is not dead.” —Madjan Magazine (Serbia)
“Excellent examples of collage and montage techniques . . . Interesting visual poems.” —Portland Book Review
When a war ends provisionally, the agreement is called a ceasefire. But when peace ends, there is only war. War and peace are co-dependent. What might be best would be a “Peacefire.” In Maintenant 17: A Journal of Contemporary Dada Writing and Art, 254 artists from 34 countries on 6 continents explore the concept of the end of both war and peace, providing provocative outsider ideas as dada has done since its inception. With searing cover art by Georgian artist Uta Kaxniashvili (“Child Under Bombs”), this issue of the renowned journal elaborates on Dada’s original premise as an antiwar movement. The Maintenant series, established in 2008, explores themes of politics, humanity, philosophy, and current concerns from an antiwar, anarchic (and often eye-opening) perspective. This issue includes work by artists Mark Kostabi, Raymond Pettibon, Heide Hatry, Pawel Kuczynski, Hala Alyan, Volodymyr Bilyk, Syporca Whandal, Charles Plymell, Thurston Moore, Mike Watt, Bibbe Hansen, and … READ MORE
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ROBIN AND HER MISFITS
by Kelly Ann Jacobson
“Most Anticipated Young Adult Books 2023”—LGBTQ Reads
“This lightning-paced novel is addictive for any misfit who’s felt lost and angry, who hankers after a little bit – okay, a whole lot – of revenge.” —Lucy Jane Bledsoe, author No Stopping Us Now
In this complete reimagining of the Robin Hood legend, the “merry men” are a roving gang of fiercely unique queer female bikers, street racers, and thieves, whose leader, Robin, drives them from a life of greed to a pledge to “steal from the rich” and give back to queer girls in need of help.
Robin and her four Misfits—Little John, White Rabbit, Daisy Chain, and Skillet—have run away from their families in order to live off the grid on their own terms. For a while, they’re hidden, safe, and happy as they commit petty crimes that provide enough to get by. Until one mission changes everything … READ MORE
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SECRET RULES TO BEING A ROCKSTAR
by Jessamyn Violet
“Most Anticipated Young Adult Books 2023”—LGBTQ Reads
“Must-Have 2023 Queer Book Releases”—The Nerd Daily
“A colorful story full of hope and wonder, immersing the reader in the near-dystopian dreamscape of the music industry in 1990s Los Angeles–and I know because I lived it.” ―Eva Gardner, bassist for P!NK, Cher, Tegan & Sarah
Acclaimed musician Jessamyn Violet’s debut LGBTQA+ novel sizzles with a coming-of-age story set in an industry of ambition, secrets, lies, and utter joy. Eighteen-year-old Kyla Bell dreams of becoming a professional touring musician, but she gets no support from her parents, who want her to go to college. One night, her dreams are answered. But there’s a big catch … READ MORE
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AQUARIAN DAWN: A Novel
by Ebele Chizea
“Ada’s story, every twist and turn, is worth the trip.” —Kirkus Reviews
“This book is a gem in so many ways.” —Naomi Isted, Award-Winning TV Host
“A dazzling debut novel by a dazzling writer whose storytelling shines as bright and liquid as the African sun.” —Lynn Lipinski, Bloodlines,
In Nigerian-American Ebele Chizea’s stunning debut novel, teenager Ada and her mother flee the civil war of their West African home and come to America in 1966, where Ada soon discovers—and blossoms within—the US counterculture movement, developing a drive for anti-war activism which she takes with her back to Nabuka only to uncover new truths about herself as well as family secrets that threaten to shatter her plans for the future.
While protesting the Vietnam war in America, Ada forges friendships with other nonconformist youth: free-spirited Stacey, a boisterous hippie, and Sal, a philosophical wanderlust. Soon she seeks independence from her mother, love on her own terms, as well as sexual autonomy. College provides Ada with opportunities for academic success, personal experimentation, and full independence, as well as heartbreak. Despite loss and grief over a decade, Ada’s heart becomes her own true compass and guides her to fully become the leader and activist she’d always been deep inside. READ MORE
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STANDALONE: A Dickie Cornish Mystery
by Christopher Chambers
“Chambers makes the smell and harrowing vibe of the mean streets of the nation’s capital come alive.” —Publishers Weekly
“A well crafted page turner.” —Gary Phillips, One Shot Harry
“STANDALONE’s got a lot to say. Listen up.” —Tracy Clark, Cass Raines Chicago Mystery Series
Dickie Cornish, Washington, DC street denizen turned unlicensed private investigator, is forced at gunpoint to track down the daughter of an ex-con, setting up a chain of events that unleashes a war within the corrupt police force, exposes shocking conduct in child services, and unearths a secret that threatens to tear the nation’s capitol apart.
It’s been over year since that bleak Christmas when a rich man peeled homeless, drug-addled Dickie Cornish from a steam grate, cleaned him up, and convinced him to use his street connections to track down his missing property. Now, as the summer sun bakes those same mean streets, the air is thick with crime, contagion, and corruption. Dickie struggles with sobriety, anti-psychotic meds, and counseling at the VA, but manages to make a meager living as a private investigator with his sidekick, “Stripe”—until an ex-con named Al-Mayadeen Thomas sticks a gun to Dickie’s forehead and kidnaps him to a grim flophouse—a motel filled with squatters more desperate than the poor souls in the shelters. READ MORE
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THE FACE OF THE WATERS: A Novel
by Robert Silverberg
“Demonstrates why Silverberg earned the title of SFWA Grand Master in this immersive epic. . . . This is hard sci-fi done right.” —Publishers Weekly
“When Silverberg is at the top of his form, no one is better . . . . This is one of the enduring classics of science fiction.” —George R.R. Martin
“In the field of science fiction, Silverberg occupies a place in the highest echelon.” —Jack Vance
Deep in the future, natives of the planet Hydros, an ocean planet whose inhabitants live on artificial floating islands, force the entire human population of the island of Sorve into exile, leaving the outcasts to ponder their fate, their past, and the true purpose of humanity.
After a human offense against the natives of Hydros, the human population of the island of Sorve are ordered to leave. Forbidden on all other islands, in a flotilla of ships they seek the semi-mythical island of the Face of the Waters. During their journey they are forced to learn more about themselves, leading to questions about both religion and the purpose of Man. At the end of the novel Robert Silverberg addresses what it means to be human, and explores what unites and divides humanity. READ MORE
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MAINTENANT 16: A Journal of Contemporary Dada Writing and Art
edited by Peter Carlaftes and Kat Georges
“A smorgasbord for those who are sick and tired of it.” —Seattle Book Review
“Timely and relevant.” —Tribe LA Magazine
“Proof that Dada is not dead.” —Madjan Magazine (Serbia)
These days you hear a lot about NET ZERO, in reference to steps being taken to combat climate change. NET ZERO refers to the balance between the amount of greenhouse gas produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere. At this time, NET ZERO is an ambition lacking absolute definition as corporate energy titans pledge distant adherence without clear or immediate commitments to act. In fact, these so-called “innovative” scions of wealth seem to not even be able to remove the layer of hot air greenhouse gases spewing from the mouths of the pundits and politicos pushing the affirmation of their endlessly pernicious promises. Enter NYET ZERO.
For the first time since debuting in 2008, MAINTENANT 16 includes work from all seven continents on the planet, with more than 240 creators from 34 countries. The MAINTENANT series gathers the work of internationally-renowned contemporary Dada artists and writers. MAINTENANT 16 features cover art by legendary painter Chuck Connelley. READ MORE
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YIPPIE GIRL: Exploits in Protest and Defeating the FBI
by Judy Gumbo
“Gumbo delivers a sharp-edged memoir of years of protest and resistance . . . A welcome addition to the literature of radical activism in the age of Johnson, Nixon, and beyond.” —Kirkus Reviews
“The best account in existence of what life was like for a woman in the theatrical, goofy, messianic world of the Yippie boys . . . A fun read and a valuable political document, long overdue. It’s cause for celebration.” —Counterpunch
In 1968, a 24-year-old woman moved to Berkeley, California and immediately became enmeshed in the Youth International Party, aka The Yippies, a recently-formed satirical protest group. In the next few years, Judy Gumbo (a nickname given her by Eldridge Cleaver), was soon at the center of counter-cultural activity—from protests in People’s Park, to meetings at Black Panther headquarters, to running a pig for President at the raucous Democratic National Convention in Chicago, a protest that devolved into violent attacks by the police and arrests that led to the notorious Chicago Conspiracy Trial. READ MORE
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NO STOPPING US NOW: A Novel
by Lucy Jane Bledsoe
“A timeless and triumphant story of courage in the face of opposition, as well as a glimpse into the early days of Title IX’s implementation. Knowledgeable about, and appreciative of, the trailblazers who fought for fairness and equal opportunities for women in sports, No Stopping Us Now is an excellent historical novel.” ―Foreword Reviews (Starred Review)
“The cause is just, the action absorbing, the sexist flack still all too familiar.” —Kirkus Reviews
A powerful, moving story about finding one’s own voice through the joys of sports, love, and the strength of sisterhood. Louisa loves to play basketball, but in 1974, her Portland, Oregon high school only offers a team for boys. An encounter with feminist Gloria Steinem teaches her about Title IX—the law that bans discrimination based on gender—so she asks her principal to start a girls team. Little does she know that she’ll soon be viciously targeted by male coaches at her school, lied to by the school board, and fall in love—a couple of times—as she fights for a fair chance to be an athlete. Based on the author’s true story, it is a compelling examination of the courage it takes to stand up for what’s right. READ MORE
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JAPANTHEM: Counter-Cultural Experiences; Cross-Cultural Remixes
by Jillian Marshall
“In this illuminating debut, Marshall offers an outsider’s look into Japanese culture via its music . . . Throughout, her sharp observations are interspersed with moving moments of introspection . . . This transportive work is a thrilling escape.” —Publishers Weekly
Fulbright and mtvU sponsored scholar Jillian Marshall offers honest and often humorous vignettes that delve far beyond Western stereotypes of Japanese culture to portray a society’s deep relationship with music, and what it means to listen and understand as a cultural outsider.
Following a decade of back-and-forth across the Pacific while researching her doctoral thesis in ethnomusicology, JAPANTHEM author Jillian Marshall reveals contemporary Japan through a prism of magic, serendipity, frustration, unique underground culture, learning life lessons the hard way, and an insatiable curiosity for the human spirit. The book’s twenty vignettes — including what it’s like to be subtly bullied by your Buddhist dance teacher, go to a secret rave in woods near Mt. Fuji, meet a pop star at a basement club while tipsy, and experience a nuclear disaster unfold by the minute — are based off first-hand experience, and illustrate music’s fascinating relationship to (Japanese) society with honesty, intelligence, and humor. JAPANTHEM offers a uniquely nuanced portrayal of life in the Land of the Rising Sun — while encouraging us to listen more deeply in (and to) Japan in the process. READ MORE
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