June is Pride Month and there’s so much to celebrate, even (and especially) in the face of current erasure and censure of queer life and work. In that spirit, as the month comes to a close I wanted to highlight three contemporary queer presses that are publishing today, contributing to the great torrent of poetics that runs through the heart of American cultural history. May their publications offer you—no matter who you are or how you identify—a cool drink to slake your thirst in the summer heat, and the clarity to see the community that only the flow of language can offer:
kith books: “kith’s aim is to amplify and support primarily trans, queer, and disabled creators.” They regularly publish books of cutting edge poetry and prose (they published my chapbook in 2023). Moreover, they have been a necessary gathering force for marginalized authors to share their work and to support each other with resources and community. kith is at the vanguard, championing work by trans, queer and disabled folk, especially important now, when those lives and work are threatened with discrimination. kith also runs the online journal corporeal lit, and en*gendered which promote written work about the body, in all its beautiful complications, and the experience of gender.
Foglifter: based in the California Bay Area, Foglifter’s mission aims to put “queer and trans writers into conversation, [they] uplift a growing community of LGBTQ+ readers and writers and carve out space in the larger literary community for voices that have historically been silenced.” In their printed bi-annual literary journal, they publish striking queer literature of all stripes (from non-fiction, to poetry, essay and short stories) and even visual art. Subscribe to their print issues and peruse their section of online work.
Honey Literary: an online journal with a mission to publish, “BIPOC women, non-binary and trans people, disabled writers, and anyone of color from the LGBTQIAP2+ community.” They “crave the work of agitators, righteous disruptors, weirdos, and wild ones.” Honey Literary is one of the few and wondrous places online where one can read sections on topics as diverse as animals, food, fashion, and sex. Honey Literary is a veritable hive of activity for the best in queer poetry and prose, with all its sweetness and sting.
I encourage you to check out the websites of the publications above, to purchase work and support the efforts of queer, trans and marginalized poets, now and beyond the month of June.
