Indie Press Month: Publishing the Collective with Radix Co-op and Ugly Duckling Presse
In collaboration with the Indie Publishers Caucus and EveryLibrary, BPL is celebrating Indie Press Month with a special series spotlighting our vibrant local indie publishing culture and exploring the perspectives of authors, editors, and publishers.
Dekalb Library is pleased to welcome Nicholas Hurd and Dennis Madamba from Radix Co-op Printing & Publishing and Keri Kelly and Milo Wippermann from Ugly Duckling Presse to discuss social justice-oriented, collective publishing models.
Radix is a worker-owned and operated union print shop and publisher based in Brooklyn, blending craftsmanship, community, and creativity. From thought-provoking essays to captivating novels, they publish works that challenge norms and inspire change.
Ugly Duckling Presse is a collectively-run, nonprofit publisher of poetry, translation, experimental prose, performance texts, and books by artists. Through the efforts of a volunteer editorial collective and small part-time staff, UDP has published more than 400 titles to date and produced countless prints and ephemera.
Please RSVP in advance as space is limited. After the discussion, there will be opportunity for Q&A with the audience.
PARTICPANTS
Nicholas Hurd has been a worker-owner at Radix for a decade. His main areas of expertise include design, letterpress, foil stamping, other specialty printing, and financial planning. Nick graduated from the now defunct San Francisco Art Institute with a BFA in 2004 and an MFA from the almost defunct California College of the Arts in 2010. Nick has over 25 years of design, print and bookmaking experience and has worked with a number of artists, printers and social justice groups. Nick loves designing posters, printing letterpress, wrangling snakes, and collecting vinyl.
Dennis Madamba is a community-based illustrator, comics maker, and organizer living in Jackson Heights, Queens. His work has been recognized by American Illustration, The Society of Illustrators LA, and ICON: The Illustration Conference. You can also find him at Radix Printing and Publishing Coop, binding books and learning to run the Heidelberg Windmill letterpress.
Keri Kelly is a Brooklyn-based writer and bookmaker from Tampa, Florida. At Ugly Duckling Presse, she serves as Distribution & Outreach Coordinator, and a contributing editor.
Milo Wippermann is an editor and letterpress printer at Ugly Duckling Presse, in addition to coordinating programs and community engagement. He is the author of Joan of Arkansas, which won a Whiting Award in poetry and drama and was a finalist for a Lambda Award. He holds an MFA from Brown University and lives in Lenapehoking, Brooklyn.
