Tag: lgbt literature

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.

Publisher Highlight: Aunt Lute Books

Posted on by Bee Lehman
collage banner for Aunt Lute Books

Founded in 1982, Aunt Lute Books has spent forty years contributing to the shape of literature across the continent. Their books–novels, poetry, essays, as well as an array of non-fiction works–are consistently on lists of must-read titles and taught across the world. Those influential books from the self-described “intersectional, feminist press” include Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza (first published in 1987) and The Cancer Journals (1980).

Aunt Lute Books is considered a Bay Area establishment, but Barb Wieser and Joan Pinkvoss initially established it in Iowa City. Four years later, the Press moved to San Francisco to partner with the small lesbian press Spinsters Ink. The two would separate again in 1990, when Aunt Lute Books would begin operation under the newly founded Ant Lute Foundation. Spinster Ink, still a lesbian press, would eventually move away from the coast. Perhaps amusingly, Spinsters Ink would eventually move away from SF, while Aunt Lute continues in the city.

To this day, the House continues to print “literature that voices the perspectives of women from a broad range of communities.” Readers can find out some information about the House through their webpage and Instagram page.

Recent Titles

More in the UC Libraries

You can find Aunt Lute Book’s publications across the UC Library system in just about every edition. To find their books specifically at UC Berkeley, readers can use the UC Library Search with a focus on “UC Berkeley catalog” and a limit by publisher (click here for the search).

Notes

[1] “About Us,” Aunt Lute Books, accessed February 9, 2026, https://www.auntlute.com/about-us.

Publisher Highlight: Fieldmouse Press

Posted on by Bee Lehman

Founded in 2019, the comics publisher Fieldmouse Press is based out of Grass Valley in California. Their House focuses on introspective text, exploring inner-emotions and personal experiences. Ranging from micro-comics to full volumes, works like Feather (Cohen, 2024), explore the act of creation and development. a rootbound plant needs space to grow (Zhu, 2025) examines the idea of love. A Scientific Study of Transsexuality (Woodiwiss, 2025), in turn, explores the sensual beauty of the trans body through the medium of a fictional scientific journal.[1]

To produce these phenomenal works, Fieldmouse sometimes runs Kickstarts to raise the funds to publish. Readers can find more information about the House’s book releases as well as their campaigns on their Instagram page.

Titles at UC Berkeley

Additional Titles in the UC System

Readers can find additional titles from Fieldmouse Press through our UC Library Search by limiting results with a publisher search.

Notes

[1] “Two Apple Problem: What ‘Show, Don’t Tell’ Means in Graphic Narratives,” Literary Hub, accessed February 3, 2026, https://lithub.com/two-apple-problem-what-show-dont-tell-means-in-graphic-narratives/; Longtime Comics Critics Announce FIELDMOUSE PRESS, a New Nonprofit Publisher, accessed November 25, 2025, https://www.comicsbeat.com/fieldmouse-press-announcement/; MariNaomi, “Leela Corman on Victory Parade, Genocide and Transgressive Art: ‘This Is My Corner Of Humanity’s Coffin To Carry,’” The Comics Journal, April 1, 2024, https://www.tcj.com/leela-corman-on-victory-parade-genocide-and-transgressive-art-this-is-my-corner-of-humanitys-coffin-to-carry/; Arpad Okay, “Graphic Novel Review: FLEA Is Fearless, Flawed, Dirty, and Excellent,” The Beat, September 10, 2025, https://www.comicsbeat.com/review-flea/; “About,” Fieldmouse Press, accessed February 2, 2026, https://www.fieldmouse.press/about.