Backbone is a niche press that focuses on writers of color and culture writing. We believe, in art, but certainly the literary arts, every voice is essential.
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We want to be troubled and inspired by the work. If there is anything explicitly outside our aesthetic, it is work that does not trouble us. We also want to be challenged by the distinct and diverse aesthetics of the various editors working together in this collective press.
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I think more than anything else, we’re driving by the rather old-fashioned concept now that ideas matter. And that engagement with ideas ought to be rewarding, energizing, entertaining, inspirational, reflective and productive. So I guess our mission is the production and dissemination of such ideas. Politically, we definitely come from (and are hopefully contributing to in some modest fashion) the traditions and practices of anarchism, Marxism, and the wide, wild and messy spectrum of anti-authoritarian philosophy, art, culture and history.
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When I was seeking a publisher for my story collection and later my novel, I would come across small presses that had been started by one person, working on a very modest scale but still putting out quality work, as far away from the corporate publishing world as it’s possible to get. I thought to myself, “Wait a minute, maybe I could do that too.” I started the process in 2013, with our first two titles released in 2014.
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Sand Opera by Philip Metres Alice James Books, 2015 100 pages – Alice James / Amazon “When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed.…
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One idea we’re kicking around is an anthology centered on politics, information freedom, and data dissemination. Chelsea Manning would write the introduction, and it would be printed entirely on transparent Mylar sheets. In the meantime, we intend to publish more chapbooks and pursue visual/hybrid content for our online plexus, so we encourage anyone reading to send work.