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Blue Cactus Press

@bluecactuspress

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🌵 Books that spark dialogue about liberation 🌈

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This Friday I’ll be joining several fantastic writers (@zobecquer @sunspilledink & @_ambalievable_ ) for a night of literary experimentation. I’ll be reading from a collection of short stories and poems called Instructions on Remembering. And I’ll be performing original live music (the song you’re hearing now). Explore the depths with us October 2nd at 6pm at King’s Books in Tacoma.

Here’s one of the poems I’ll be reading this Friday:

Rearrange time, question your entire life, keep an eye on the unending mystery she said. I will cross Death with you, a trip to an emerald garden, to life continued. Let me go home my longtime friend.

This poem is sourced from Murder, She Wrote; Death on the Emerald Isle, by Jessica Fletcher & Terrie Farley Moran, and it was purchased at King’s Books, where you can join us this Friday! I’ll have prints available for purchase of this poem as well as a few others I’ll be reading.

Thanks for listening, and I look forward to seeing you all on Friday. Love ya, Sasha. taken in King's Books by @bluecactuspress

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12 days ago

“My Name Means Free” is our forthcoming children’s picture book! Join author Tala Khanmalek and illustrator Saiyare Refaei this November 21st, from 2–4pm at @toolboxlabs (309 Puyallup Ave, Tacoma).

We’ll do a little cover reveal and share a reading from this forthcoming children’s book about Azad—a non-binary child of Iranian descent whose name means “free”—and talk about the process of bringing their story to life, making art amid war, and resisting cultural and identity erasure through art.

Just as Azad reimagines Norooz and the haftseen in the book, we’ll invite our community to do some reimagining of our own by building a community altar together during the event. We’ll also have coloring and crafting.

Participants will also have the opportunity to preorder “My Name Means Free” with @bluecactuspress and help us bring this book into the world.

Children, families, artists, and community members of all ages are warmly welcome. This is a free event, no registration required.

This event is supported by the City of Tacoma and Tacoma Art Commission’s TAIP Grant while all views are our own.

(Song is “Free” by @florenceandthemachine) by @bluecactuspress

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19 days ago

Come for the books. Enter another world. Join us on Friday Oct 2 at 6pm for a reading of Runtimes - a celebration through writing, speculative worlds, and literary experimentation. by @bluecactuspress

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19 days ago

Join the Blue Cactus Press community. 🌵

Becoming a BCP Patreon member is one of the most direct ways you can help sustain the books we make. Your membership helps cover printing costs and supports us in paying the authors, artists, and collaborators who bring this work into the world.

Members receive books as we make them, letters from authors and collaborators, and the occasional BCP swag, too.

And there’s a lot to look forward to. BCP is celebrating 10 years of publishing, and this fall, our team is growing. We’ll be sharing more in early October—keep an eye on our newsletter for the announcement. 👀

Help us build what comes next.

Become a member → link in bio 🌵

(This amazing artwork was created just for us by the very talented @vaquero_azul_art !) by @bluecactuspress

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23 days ago

MEET THE READERS ✦

We’re getting closer to RUNTIMES_ Reading & Celebration, so it’s time to meet the writers who’ll be bringing their work into the room.

Join Blue Cactus Press + loyal.industries for an evening at the edges of possibility, celebrating Lorenzo Bécquer’s Runtimes alongside readings from Sasha Victor, Rae Miqueli, and Ambalila Hemsell. Each writer will share work of their own, and music will find its way into some of the readings along the way.

✦ SASHA VICTOR

Sasha Victor writes surreal poetry and fiction, plays the trombone in multiple bands, and creates mixed media art. You can find him on Instagram @sashavictor0_o or on TikTok @sashaspoetrylounge

✦ RAE MIQUELI

Rae Miqueli is an experimental poet and writer. They enjoy doing somatic painting, crocheting, and movement. They are passionate about protecting and preserving all living and non-living beings. Connect w/ them @sunspilledink .

✦ AMBALILA HEMSELL

Ambalila Hemsell is a writer, musician, and educator from Colorado and India. She is the author of the poetry collection Queen in Blue, and the lead singer of the band Sea Wolf. She lives in Tacoma, WA with her two children and her beloved cat, where she teaches high school English.

✦ LORENZO BÉCQUER

Lorenzo Bécquer is a Colombian American writer and producer, his debut novel Runtimes is out now on Vega Books / loyal.industries. You can find him on instagram @zobecquer and hear some of his post capitalism neo noir apocalitpic dadcore techno boom bap rap shit on Soundcloud @zobecquer, con mucho sabor.

Come hear writers you know, discover work you don’t, and gather around books, other worlds, and new possibilities.

RUNTIMES_ READING & CELEBRATION
Friday, October 2 · 6 PM
King’s Bookstore · 218 St. Helens Ave, Tacoma
Hosted by Chris Vega of Blue Cactus Press
Free · No RSVP · Just show up

Copies of Runtimes, along with books and related works by the featured writers, will be available for purchase throughout the evening. taken in King's Books by @bluecactuspress

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a month ago

Our latest book, Melodies for Enduring the World by Mohsen Hosseinkhani, is here!

This is a stunning Farsi-English dual language poetry book that dives into the effects of war, nostalgia, love, and depression from the prolific and celebrated Iranian poet, Mohsen Hosseinkhani.

Grab your copy at @kingsbooks in Tacoma, @winter_texts in Port Townsend, or @openpoetrybooks in Seattle!

We are so proud to present this poetry book, not only because the poetry itself speaks to the universal human experience of the heartache and devastation of war; but also because of our collective determination, as a creative team, to engage in cross-cultural collaboration despite being told by our government that our respective nationalities are inherently at odds. We are not. And we refuse to abandon or other folks because our government declares them “enemy.” Fuck that.

Instead of supporting that narrative, we bring you our own form of resistance and liberation via publishing.

We hope you read and enjoy this book. And we hope it closes a bit of distance between our two cultures - Iranian and American - so we can coexist on this earth with more peace, respect, and dignity.

Thank you @anidashogun for your cover design, and @knicmakes for your interior design! by @bluecactuspress

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a month ago

Join us at Page Turner Books (@pageturnerbookskent ) for a special book signing with Jonah Barnett (@jonahcake ), author of Moss-Covered Claws, on Friday, August 22, from 11 AM–2 PM.

Stop by to meet Jonah, pick up a signed copy, and celebrate this Queer, campy, dystopian and horror short story collection.

Jonah is also the editor of Menagerie and publisher of @countershadepress . Ask them about it at the signing!

📍 Page Turner Books
215 1st Ave. S., Kent, WA taken in Page Turner Books by @bluecactuspress

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2 months ago

“Next to a floating eyeball… exactly as god intended it to be.”

@jonahcake always says it best 😂 Find some of BCPs best sci-fi, horror-ish, and fantasy works at @pageturnerbookskent in Kent, including:

📕 Moss-Covered Claws by Jonah Barnett (@jonahcake )

📖 Confessions of a Modern Day Kumiho by Alissa Tu (@heyalissa )

💫 Runtimes by Lorenzo Becquér by @bluecactuspress

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2 months ago

It’s not to late to join our monthly Publish It Yourself workshop!

This month, we’re focused on MARKETING, and ensuring we’re flowing smoothly from one phase to the next of the following publishing workflow:

Proof & Print > MARKETING > Sales

During our class, we will go over:
✍️ When to start marketing and selling your book

✍️ Creating a marketing plan and strategy

✍️ Identifying tools for creating marketing assets

✍️ Putting together marketing kits

If this sounds like content you need, sign up for the workshop using the link in our bio! There are still a handful of seats open, but we’re almost at capacity.

We’re meeting from 10am to 2pm at @red_elm_cafe in Tacoma.

Registration required! by @bluecactuspress

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3 months ago

Last fall, Kiki and I moved to Kent, WA! And now we split our time between Kent and Tacoma (we can’t quit this city). Most weeks, we’re traveling from Kent to Puyallup, then down to Tacoma. Sometimes, we head further south to Olympia and Portland, or north to Seattle. Our living, working, and schooling are more migratory than ever before.

As my family’s footprint changes and expands,so too does that of Blue Cactus Press. We’re working hard to ensure our titles are available in cities and towns across the region in which we’re traveling, including at bookstores, libraries, and specialty gift shops.

I’m so happy to say that one of our newest partnerships is with the local indie bookstore in Kent, @pageturnerbookskent ! Page Turner Books now carries some of BCP’s fiction, sci-fi, auto-fiction, and dystopian titles!

If you’re in the Federal Way, Renton, Kent, or Des Moines area, pop into Page Turner Books to get your hands on these fabulous and engaging books we’ve made. Every purchase helps build local creative economy and supports REAL PEOPLE, neighbors who are authors, artists, editors, designers, project managers, booksellers, translators, and printers.

Let’s support each other and read thought-provoking books that speak of liberation while we’re at it! And if you know of a bookstore or library you think our books are a good fit for, please request them (at libraries), or ask booksellers to carry them (at bookstores).

We’re so thankful to live this life. Thank you for making it happen alongside us, folks! ✌🏼 📖 🖊️ 🌞 by @bluecactuspress

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3 months ago

Coming off of summer solstice, I wanted to offer some opportunities to build creative community, and not have to leave the house lol. So I’m hosting three workshops this summer that focus on how we can keep writing through rupture. The first, Writing the Body, is less than a week away! In workshop two we’ll study and practice writing grief, and in workshop three we will explore writing rage. All genres and levels welcome. Suggested donation is $10 but I’m using a pay what you can model. Special thanks to @bluecactuspress her partnering with me on this, and to @jaedachanel for this amazing flyer. You can register for one or all three workshops. Space will be limited just to ensure we have a nice cozy vibe, register using the link in my bio. by @bluecactuspress

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3 months ago

Friends, can you do us a solid? Will you request one of our newest titles at your local library?!

Here's why: we're trying to increase accessibility of our books by getting them into more libraries around the U.S. this summer.

& The best way to do that is by having folks like you request our books directly at their local library.

If you're down to help us, here are some specific requests we're trying to fulfil:

- Request Can't Find My Way Home by Robert Lashley (@misterlashley ) at the @kingcountylibrary in Seattle, WA AND/OR the @timberlandlibrary in Olympia, WA.

- Request Practice and Politics edited by Rahim Thawer (@the.politicized.practitioner ) at the Fulton County Library System in Atlanta, GA.

- Request Runtimes by Lorenzo Bécquer from the University Place Library System in University Place, WA, AND/OR the @timberlandlibrary in Olympia, WA.

- Request Little Fish by Sylvia Fox (@fox.tales ) from @multnomahcountylibrary in Portland, OR.
**Each of these authors is local to the library's region we're requesting it at, and we want to make sure our readers can access our books without having to spend $ if they're unable to.

If you can help, let us know in the comments! Gracias! by @bluecactuspress

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4 months ago