New Publisher on the (Lit) Block: Dinah Press

Dinah Press recently announced its publishing debut. Based in Los Angeles, Dinah is an editorial collective with a core group of permanent editors. Authors published by the press are invited to serve as guest editors for the year following their publication.

The goal of the new press is to highlight work from underserved groups. According to their FAQ page, they will publish “fiction, nonfiction, and poetry by women of color, trans people, people with disabilities, members of colonized peoples, and other talented writers whose work has been deemed ‘unmarketable’ by mainstream publishers.”

Dinah also stresses the communal nature of writing and publishing. “In building solidarity with individuals across communities and letting writers control the production of their work, we strive to break down the idea that writing is a solitary, isolated, and privileged act, or that publishing is necessarily hierarchical. Writing—especially when one’s voice is not valued in mainstream society—is a necessity, not a luxury.”

In the coming months, Dinah Press will begin to accept submissions, and then they will read them year-round. In the meantime, they have announced their first two titles: nomad of salt and hard water, poetry from Cynthia Dewi Oka, and Other Life Forms, a novel by Julia Glassman.

Welcome, Dinah Press!