Punk Rock Presses AWP Panel in Portland 2019

Surprised but stoked that our Punk Rock Presses panel got selected for AWP 2019 in Portland.

Of course it was pretty much a last minute thing, but so are most of our best projects. I was contacted by my friend Rosemarie Dombrowski (founder of Rinky Dink Press and reigning Poet Laureate of Phoenix) because another panel that she was involved with fell apart. She asked if I would be interested in helping her put together a panel on presses with a punk influence/ethos (probably because she remembered that I used to perform with my friend Rocky Yazzie and his bands Turquoiz Noiz and The Skinwalkers). We both got excited about the possibilities and the three other presses we wanted to approach in hopes that they would join us and it all worked out.  

Punk Rock Presses: rinky dink, Forklift Ohio, Cardboard House, Wax Paper

Punk is a style of music, a state of mind, and a subculture of the small press world. Though punk is often perceived as nothing more than an anti-establishment posture, a punk ideology espouses a DIY ethos, is non-conformist in its productions, and resists selling out under pressure. These four presses define what it means to be punk publishers, and they’re thriving in a world of better-funded, perfect-bound counterparts…and wondering how long before the raw becomes the cooked.

I'm lucky to be part of such a distinguished team that includes Hans Hetrick of The Wax Paper, Giancarlo Huapaya of Cardboard House Press and Matt Hart of Forklift, Ohio, because they each bring unique experiences and dynamics to our panel. 

Outsiders on the inside!