Arts & Humanities

Publisher Highlight: Inventory Press

Posted on by Bee Lehman
banner for inventory press with collage of covers

Inventory Press is not primarily a literary publisher. Instead, they “publish[…] books on topics in art, architecture, design, and music, with an emphasis on subcultures, minor histories, and the sociopolitical aspects of material culture.” That frequently includes literary components.

After establishing the press in 2014 in New York, Adam Michaels (graphic designer and editor) and Shannon Harvey (design strategist) opened an “independent design and editorial studio” in Los Angeles called Inventory Form & Content (IN-FO.CO). The Press, in turn, in now situated primarily in Los Angeles.[1]

Founded by designers, the Press is interested in the form, look, and function of a book as much as the content. In consequence, their books are often word art (e.g., The Endless Line | Gesture, Painting, Technics) and about the art of letters and words (e.g., A Queer Year of Love Letters) more than they are strictly poetry or prose.[2]

Readers can look at more of their titles and work on their webpage or on Instagram.

Titles at UC Berkeley

For More Books in the UC System

To find additional titles in the UC Library system, take a look at the UC Library Search and limit an advanced search to “Publisher” to “Inventory Press” and “Material Type” to books (sample).

Notes

[1] “IN-FO.CO / Inventory Press,” accessed April 20, 2026, https://in-fo.co/form-content/inventory-press.

[2] Adam Michaels and Shannon Harvey, guests, 106. Adam Michaels and Shannon Harvey, Scratching the Surface, January 16, 2019, https://scratchingthesurface.fm/post/182049895520/106-adam-michaels-and-shannon-harvey;
Wes Del Val, “Taking Stock of Books with Inventory Press,” Designers & Books, October 20, 2020, https://www.designersandbooks.com/blog/taking-stock-of-books-inventory-press.

French African Journals in Africa Commons

Posted on by Claude Potts

Africa Commons is a collection of archives, streaming media, newspapers, journal articles, and other types of documents and records that is uniquely expansive in both its size and geographical breadth. The UC Berkeley Library has purchased access to the 4-part collection from Coherent Digital, which provides coverage of news and events as well as research publications from the east, west, and south of the African continent. The multidisciplinary nature of this database’s content makes it useful to a wide variety of researchers working on all things African.

Complementing Berkeley’s strong African print holdings, here are three French language journals included in the most recently purchased module – West African Journals:

L’Afrique Littéraire et Artistique

L’Afrique Littéraire et Artistique (also called L’Afrique Littéraire in some issues) was a French-language literary and cultural magazine published by the Société Africaine d’Édition in Paris. Most issues focused on a specific aspect of African literature, cinema, and art, and include in-depth analysis and commentary on books and films created in or about Africa. This collection includes fifteen issues of the magazine, including a special film edition. Dates range between 1972 and 1989.

La Vie Africaine

La Vie Africaine was a cultural and political magazine published between in France between 1959 and 1965. The publication covered many important events in 1960s Africa, at a time when many countries were gaining independence and working to define themselves anew. It also explored cinema, literature, and music by or about Africans. This collection includes 44 issues of La Vie Africaine, ranging from 1959 to 1965.

L'Afrique Actuelle

L’Afrique Actuelle was a bilingual French/English monthly magazine, and succeeded La Vie Africaine. It covered political, economic, and cultural issues, including independence movements and the relationship of newly formed African governments with European and American states. This collection includes 19 issues of L’Afrique Actuelle, covering the years 1967-1969.

 

Coherent Digital brings the values of academic publishing to real-world information—organizing, curating, and digitizing—so that information is preserved, trackable, stronger, and more impactful. In collaboration with libraries, archives, NGOs, and subject experts, they ensure that preservation is ethical, representative, and aligned with community needs.

April 2026 Neurodiversity Celebration Month

Posted on by Literatures at the Library

Guide to April 2026 Neurodiversity Celebration Month

Celebrate Neurodiversity this April with our featured collection of books by neurodiverse authors.

Publisher Highlight: Sixteen Rivers Press

Posted on by Bee Lehman
collage banner of Sixteen Rivers Press logo and covers

In 1999, a group of seven “San Francisco writers” founded Sixteen Rivers Press as a not-for-profit “Northern California Poetry Collective.” The collective’s idea and structure was premised on Alice James Books, which was founded in the 1970s in Boston. The structure is focused on shared-work, with a voluntary board of directors committing for a three-year period and (usually) meeting once a month on Zoom. Most of the Press’ publications are single-author compilations, at least two each spring, although they occasionally publish multi-author anthologies

A not-for-profit and community group, part of Sixteen Rivers Press’ board’s directives is to encourage local, Northern California poets. The Press does that in part through its ever-changing board, which tries bringing in one-or-two new people a year. Sixteen Rivers hopes thereby to keep the board active with voices representing different perspectives, particularly as the Press often publishes that member’s volume of poetry in their second year of service.[1]

Sixteen Rivers Press also encourages and supports community poetry with series including To the Human Race: Hope River (link to vol. 3). For that series, the Press’ board selects a series of Northern CA, “young teens’” poems. The board members also visit classrooms and offer mentorship.

The press further tries to capture specific moments in U.S. and Northern California with anthologies on topics such as America, We Call Your Name: Poems of Resistance and Resilience (store page) as well as call backs such as Waking Up: Teen Poets Respond (store page)

Readers can follow the Press’ active news page or check out what they’re up to on Instagram.

Recent Titles in the UC Library System

More in the UC System

To find additional Sixteen Rivers Press’ titles in the UC System, check out the UC Berkeley Library Search and search specifically for the press’ name in the Advanced Search under “Publisher” (sample search).

Notes

[1] “About,” Sixteen Rivers Press, accessed April 13, 2026, https://sixteenrivers.org/about.

Publisher Highlight: Jaded Ibis Press

Posted on by Bee Lehman
Jaded Ibis banner with book covers

Jaded Ibis Press only became a California press five years ago. Debra DiBlasi founded the press in 2008 in the midwest. Wanting to produce significant literature to enlighten, emphasizing empathy and respect, DiBlasi planned on “Ibis Productions” after the James Hurst short story “The Scarlet Ibis.” Frustrated with the state of contemporary literature and the rejection of what DiBlasi thought were “superlatively original books” as unmarketable, they added “Jaded” to the name.[1] While the press’ foundation had been laid, it wasn’t until DiBlasi moved the press to Seattle, Washington, in 2010 that the press took flight. Over the next three years, the press would publish almost two dozen books, featuring memoirs, poetry, and prose.

From its founding, Jaded Ibis Press has focused on mixing media, including visual arts, music, and the written word. Their volumes frequently include collaborations between authors, illustrators, photographs, and other visual artists. They also experiment with technology, producing interactive works for ereaders.[2] In addition, the press currently runs a podcast and the bi-monthly, online literary journal/blog Scarlet.

Today, under Board President Elizabeth Earley and based out of San Francisco, Jaded Ibis continues its mandate to enlighten and encourage. The Press self-defines as a “feminist press” with emphasis on works by people of color, queer individuals, and/or those with disabilities who engage with social justice as an artistic practice.[3]

Books at UC Berkeley’s Doe Library

Additional Books in the UC System

To find additional books from Jaded Ibis Press in the UC System, do an advanced search for the press under “Publisher” and limit the Material Type to “Books.” Here’s the base search!

Notes

[1] Liz Axelrod, “DEBRA DIBLASI and SAM WITT of Jaded Ibis Press with Liz Axelrod,” Brooklyn Rail, August 19, 2024, https://brooklynrail.org/2012/12/books/debra-diblasi-and-sam-witt-of-jaded-ibis-press-with-liz-axelrod/; tim, “Jorge Armenteros, Tom Bradley, Carol Ciavonne, Matthew Cooperman, and Marius Lehane: A Jaded Ibis Press Feature,” Counterpath, September 19, 2014, https://counterpathpress.org/leslie-mcgrath-jorge-armenteros-tom-bradley-carol-ciavonne-matthew-cooperman-and-marius-lehane-a-jaded-ibis-press-feature-friday-september-19-2014-7-p-m.

[2] Debra Di Blasi, “Scenes: Jaded Ibis Press: An Interview with Debra Di Blasi,” American Book Review 33, no. 5 (2012): 31–31.

[3] “About,” Jaded Ibis Press, accessed April 6, 2026, https://jadedibispress.com/about/; “Myriam Gurba with Elizabeth Earley,” Library Foundation SD, accessed April 6, 2026, https://libraryfoundationsd.org/events/gurba.

Publisher Highlight: HINCHAS Press

Posted on by Bee Lehman
collage banner

Yago Cura founded HINCHAS Press in Los Angeles in 2016. The press comes out of Cura’s Hinchas de Poesia Literary Journal (founded in 2009), a journal Cura began with financial support from one James Foley. Foley, a war journalist, died in 2014 after being detained by ISIS for two years. To memorialize Foley’s support and “honor Jim’s spirit,” Cura collaborated with several writers who also knew Foley to write the anthology Ghazals for Foley (HINCHAS Press, 2016) – the first of HINCHAS press’ books.

From its start as a literary journal, HINCHAS Press has focused on poetry, library science (Cura is themself a public librarian), and zines. The Press is a “bilingual literacy laboratory,” publishing works in English, Spanish, in translation, and/or Spanglish. Honoring its founding, topics continue to focus on social justice and advocacy with recent volumes focused on stories from “Black and Brown writers from around the globe” (e.g., Amorphaville: Stories Outside Time) as well as LA specific authors (e.g., X LA Poets). The Press aims to produce four volumes a year.

Readers can find more about the press on their website or on their Instagram page.

Books in the UC System

UC Berkeley also recently put in an order for several of their additional texts. We also plan on going on a bit of a hunt in the Fall for some of their out of print titles.

 

 

Publisher Highlight: Kelsey Street Press

Posted on by Bee Lehman
Kelsey Stress Press logo collage banner

In 1974, a small group of women founded Kelsey Street Press in the basement of group member Patricia Dienstfrey’s home on Kelsey Street in Berkeley, while another member–Rena Rosenwasser–committed to set type. At the time, Dienstfrey and other women authors were frustrated with the lack of space in the Bay Area for women’s poetry or artistic voices. In response, five members (including Dienstfrey) of the Berkeley Poets Co-op decided to found a press.[1] Their explicit goal was to provide Bay Area women writers “who felt compelled to address the historical marginalization of women writers by mainstream publishers” a space to release their work.[2] Both Rosenwasser and Dienstfrey would dedicate their time and efforts to the press for 50 years, with other members coming in and out. Today, Dienstfrey has stepped back and Rosenwasser is taking a background role while Ching-In Chen, Emgee Dufresne, and Carla Hall steer the Press.

Kelsey Street works with their authors to produce poetry, prose, experimental writing, and collaborative works tying together poetry or prose with the visual arts. Among the first of the latter, Rena Rosenwasser and Kate Delos Simulacra, which is mutual exploration in narrative poetry and drawing of Roman murals.

In their more than 50 years of work, the press has continued to think about their mission and commit to provide space for marginalized women. To promote their efforts, the House held a prize for “FIRSTS!” celebrating first-time authors. In the last few years, the House has held the “QTBIPOC Book Contest” for “QTBIPOC-identified, feminist, innovative writers/poets.” The 2023 award went to Jennifer Perrine for Beautiful Outlaw.[3]

To follow the Press and see their contests or celebrate the winner, readers can check their webpage or their Instagram page.

Recent Titles at UC Berkeley Library

In the UC System

For more titles from Kelsey Stress Press in the UC System, check out our UC Library Search with limit to “Publisher” as “Kelsey Stress Press” in the Advanced Search (sample search).

Notes

[1] Holly McDede, “Berkeley’s Kelsey Street Press Celebrates 50 Years of Experimental, Feminist Poetry,” Berkeleyside, October 30, 2024, https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/10/30/berkeleys-kelsey-street-press-celebrates-50-years-of-experimental-feminist-poetry.

[2] “The Kelsey Street Press,” text, Poets.Org, February 3, 2005, https://poets.org/text/kelsey-street-press.

[3] “Contests,” Kelsey Street Press, accessed March 23, 2026, https://www.kelseystreetpress.org/contests.

March 2026 Women’s History Month

Posted on by Literatures at the Library

decorative banner reading "Women's history month"

Honor Women’s History Month by exploring our featured selection of books written by women.

Publisher Highlight: North Atlantic Books

Posted on by Bee Lehman
Collage North Atlantic Books covers and logo

When founding a press in 1974 in Vermont, Richard Grossinger and Lindy Hough claimed the name North Atlantic Books (NAB). They then promptly moved to the Pacific coast and began operating the press out of Berkeley, where they are registered as a not-for-profit. Committed to social justice and community engagement, the press puts its money where its mouth is and pays their “annual Shuumi Land Tax to the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust for their continued work in the rematriation of the land upon which we live and work.”[1] They also contribute to initiatives like the Prisoners Literature Project and Alameda County Community Food Bank, among others.[2]

No longer a two-person operation, the North Atlantic Books is run by a diverse board of directors.[3] Now under that diverse board, the House has been publishing poetry and memoirs as well as books on social justice, health and yoga, anthropology, and spiritual growth. The literature which the House shepherds often tackle topics such as grief, climate change, and wellness.

In addition to their main lines, North Atlantic Books has developed a series of imprints, including Blue Snake Books, one of the largest publishers of internal and historical martial-arts books in the world.

Readers can find out more about the press and their publications through the press’ website or on their Instagram page.

Recent Titles

 

Note

[1] “Who We Are,” North Atlantic Books, accessed March 17, 2026, https://www.northatlanticbooks.com/who-we-are/.

[2] Wendy Werris, “North Atlantic Books Transforms with the Times,” PublishersWeekly.Com, September 28, 2012, https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/54169-north-atlantic-books-transforms-with-the-times.html.

[3] Anisse Gross, “With New Leaders, North Atlantic Books Looks Ahead,” PublishersWeekly.Com, April 10, 2015, https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/66228-with-new-leaders-north-atlantic-books-looks-ahead.html.

Publisher Highlight: Desert Palm Press

Posted on by Bee Lehman
Collage of Desert Palm Press Covers with logo, 2026

Founded in 2014, R. Lee Fitzsimmons established Desert Palm Press (DPP, webpage with Pen Light) in Watsonville, CA. At the time, Fitzsimmons was dissatisfied with the limited access LGBTQ+ community members generally–lesbians specifically–had to the publishing world. They created the Press in part to provide women with spaces to be heard. To this day, the Press seeks to present its readers with material that “accurately and respectfully” reflects lesbian and other LGBTQ+ community members’ lives.[1] To meet that goal, the Press publishes across multiple genres, ranging from romance and horror, speculative fiction, and biography. Last year, On January 1, 2025, Jodi Zeramby and Peggy Zeramby took over publishing duties for the Press.[2]

Desert Palm Press is an active participant in the Southern California writing scene. For multiple years, they have supported and/or participated in the Left Coast Literary Conference in Palm Springs. They also have an active Facebook page.

Recent Titles in UC Berkeley Library

More in the UC System

To find more books from Desert Palm Press in the UC Library System, take a look at the UC Library Search with a publisher limit to “Desert Palm Press” and a material type to book.

Notes

[1] R. Lee Fitzsimmons, “Scenes: Desert Palm Press An Interview with R. Lee Fitzsimmons,” American Book Review 43, no. 3 (2022): 195–96, Project MUSE, https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/17/article/884796.

[2] “Desert Palm Press About Us | Empower LGBTQ+ Voices — Discover More,” Penlight Press, accessed March 10, 2026, https://penlightpress.com/dpp-about.