I bet you thought we’d disappeared forever? Allen Saunders said, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” And so it did. There was a heinous president, and a global pandemic, and our distributor went bankrupt, and no one could find toilet paper so Americans started hording bidets like they were the next Beanie Babies, or Tulips, or land plots on the Salton Sea, or Bitcoin. We got a bit overwhelmed. We got married. We moved to separate states. That useless president got elected, AGAIN. Books went out of print. The whole thing fell apart.

And yet, until they chase us out of the country we’re still here, and there’s still brilliant work to share with the world even if we have to change the way we go about it.

First, we slipped a book under the radar a year or two ago. Long Autumn by Joshua C. Gaines is a story about a man and his futuristic Furby traveling the Hudson River Valley during an Eco-Dystopian Future on a search for his lost daughter. It is available here!

Second, we have a new book of poetry coming out from a poet we’re very excited about, Tommy Gaffney. His book of narrative poems, Whiskey Days, chronicles the truth and fiction of his life in the suburb adjacents of Louisville Kentucky and the pre-Portlandia days of Portland Oregon. It’s better than great–it’s fucked up, and you should read it but not out loud to your kids. You can find it here and wherever we’re reading tonight in Portland, Oregon.

Lastly, we’ll be at AWP in Los Angeles in a few days. Come find our table at the book fair, buy a book, and get a free shot of bourbon! (Unless you’re under 21 in which case, you’re just going to have to smuggle that stuff in on your own like all the rest of us did.)

It has been too long friends. We’ve missed you, and hope you are staying safe out there in this wild, wreck of a world. We’ve been focusing on our families, our little furry friends, and in those rare moments of inspiration, our own work. That being said, there are some exciting new projects on the Thoughtcrime horizon, and we’ll keep you updated. For now, just know that we’re going to be working alongside some real beauties, and absolute inspirations, and couldn’t be more thrilled.

 

Hello Friends,

it has been too long, but, oh my, do we have something special for you. On October 13th, courtney marie will be traveling up to Chicago to celebrate the release of her amazing chapbook Don’t Get Your Hopes Up. Joining her will be authors from Thoughtcrime Press, Meekling Press, the Unreal Reading Series, Sobotka Lit Mag, and Match Books! And a dance party to follow the reading! Please join us at the humble house for this weirdo extravaganza.

 

In other news, all of our current titles can now be found over at Small Press Distribution. Woot woot.

 

We’re thrilled to present the pre-orders/kickstarter project for two of our Lorien Prize winners: Moon Woman by Fatima-Ayan Malika Hirsi, & don’t get your hopes up by courtney marie. They’re offering an amazing list of rewards, including postcards based on the cover art, a personalized song, and art by our friends at Meekling Press. Take a look, and share with your friends.

Not My President, The Anthology of Dissent is finally available. We’ve gathered voices from around the world in this anthology, including National Book Award winners, visual artists, New York Times Best Sellers, poets laureate, singer-songwriters, high school students, and children of illegal immigrants, all united in their opposition to the policies of Donald Trump. We’ve shipped off copies to every member of Congress, and the Tweeter-In-Chief, and all remaining profits will go towards non profit groups facing backlash under the current administration. Click the book cover to purchase a copy for yourself.

Hello Friends,

our apologies for the silence. We’re so very close to sharing with you the Not My President anthology, and are hard at work editing and choosing cover art for the winning Lorien Prize chapbooks. If all goes to plan, the whole bunch will be available before the end of the year.

In other news, Captain Josh Gaines, Thoughtcrime author Ben Clark, and Meekling Press founder Rebecca Elliott will be risking it all in Nebraska this October at the Art Farm, a multi-disciplinary artist residency.

 

Winners:

The Curtsy Family by Brielle Brilliant and The Loser’s Guide To Street Fighting by Howie Good

 

Finalists:

Moon Woman: Mythologies and Truths by Fatima-Ayan Maliki Hirsi and Don’t Get Your Hopes Up by Courtney Marie (offered joint 2017 publication)

Zersetzung by Kelly Thomas

fragmented by Rabha Ashry

This Bitter Earth by Anita Olivia Koester and This Atlas, Lost by Stacy Balkun

Seasons of the Crone by Heather Frankland

Road Worrier by Sandra Anfang

Butterfly Bombs by Marisa Adame

The Attic, The Basement, The Barn by Saleem Penny

Body To Words by Rebeka Hall and Miranda Steffens

It was a wonderful few months of reading for us at Thoughtcrime Press, and the lovely writers above represent only a small portion of the incredible work we received for the Lorien Prize, and continue to receive for the Not My President Anthology. Thank you to everyone who submitted. It was an honor and a privilege to read your manuscripts.

Now, back to work, crafting beautiful books that celebrate our authors, and their unique, exhilarating takes on language and storytelling.

 

Thoughtcrime Press

Captain Josh Gaines, and Ben Clark

Thoughtcrime Press is accepting submissions for our new anthology, Not My President.

We want poems and short work (essays etc. under 2000-ish words) that discuss the election of 2016, the truths and fears and anger regarding going forward after the election of Donald Trump, and the shift that has occurred in many friend groups and families because of that election. We want your thoughts on the future, your reflections on the past, and your words of resistance. We want to collect voices of dissent while we still can. We want to share them with the world. A moment of historical significance has occurred, and we want to acknowledge and preserve the reaction to it. We want this book to be referenced in the future as part of our history.

Thoughtcrime founder Josh Gaines is interviewed for Entropy Magazine.

http://entropymag.org/thoughtcrime-press/