Maintenant 17 Dada Journal: The Peacefire Issue Official Book Trailer

The new edition of our globally-renowned dada journal, MAINTENANT, is coming out July 18. Please check out this trailer and share! 

Call for Submissions: MAINTENANT International DADA journal

The world is hurtling in a direction that simply isn’t sustainable. DADA came from the absurdity of war, and the destruction to the planet right now is absolutely war, with potentially billions of victims. And so, the theme for MAINTENANT 14 is:

UN-SUSTAIN-A-BULL-SH*T

Put your protest into the absurd art and writing that has made the annual MAINTENANT series critically-acclaimed around the world. Everyone in the world is affected by the growing impact of climate change, pollution, plastics, and lack of sustainability. We are seeking submissions from every country, every continent, and every artist. DADA is a “final frontier” for rebel artists. You are invited to expose, identify, retaliate, overcome, and react to the FUTURE OF THE PLANET!! The more absurd, the better it will work for the absurdity happening all around us.

Submission Period: Oct 1 – December 31, 2019

SUBMIT YOUR WORK by clicking on the button below:

We encourage all types of DADA writing and art—to get an idea of what we’re looking for, pick up a copy of one of our previous issues.

Los Angeles Premiere of SCUM: The Valerie Solanas Story April 29

The radical ideas of Valerie Solanas explode in “S.C.U.M.: The Valerie Solanas Story,” a play by Kat Georges, directed by Peter Carlaftes. The work will receive its Los Angeles premiere in a staged happening at Beyond Baroque in Venice on Sunday, April 29, 7pm. Tickets available at https://scum-LA-premiere.eventbrite.com.

Solanas, author of the notorious S.C.U.M Manifesto—which foreshadowed the #metoo movement 50 years ago—shot and seriously injured famed pop artist Andy Warhol on June 3, 1968. The play explores Solanas’ radical views through the lens of a Factory “happening” featuring a cast of “Superstars,” art critics, and outsiders. Furiously-paced and punctuated with slicing humor, whip dances, and anarchist ideals, “S.C.U.M.” cuts through façades to capture the spirit and value of artistic imagination.

A Three Rooms Press production, “S.C.U.M.: The Valerie Solanas Story,” is the opening play in Georges’ THREE SOMEBODIES: Plays About Notorious Dissidents (978-1-941110-54-6; Three Rooms Press; March 2018; $19.95), a trio of fascinating, cutting edge plays inspired by people who shook up the world—for better or worse. In addition to “S.C.U.M,” the collection includes “Art Was Here,” inspired by poet-pugilist and Dada precursor Arthur Cravan, and “Jack the Rapper,” a mash-up of Jack the Ripper and T. S. Eliot. Copies of the book will be available at the reading for purchase and signing.

Cast members include Bibiana Padilla Maltos as Valerie Solanas, as well as Linda J. Albertano, Dawn Walters, S.A. Griffin, and Christian Georgescu.

A limited number of VIP tickets are available for $20, and include premium seating and an autographed copy of THREE SOMEBODIES. General Admission is $12. Tickets may be purchased in advance: https://scum-LA-premiere.eventbrite.com.

For additional information, including a review copy of the play and assistance with interviews, please email info@threeroompress.com.

Rave Review for THE OBAMA INHERITANCE on NPR's Fresh Air

NPR Fresh Air critic Maureen Corrigan unleashed a rave review for new 3RP release THE OBAMA INHERITANCE today, giving praise for the way the collection "puts a playful, pulpy twist on preposterous stories about Obama." "The sly stories pack a punch," Corrigan observes. Listen the full review here:
  This review comes on tail of the recent review in Newsweek (print and online edition), whose book critic Ryan Bort, raved that THE OBAMA INHERITANCE was one of "15 Recommend Books for Fall," AND one of "Seven New Books that Will Make You Happy You Can Read."

See what all of the excitement is about: Be sure to get a copy of THE OBAMA INHERITANCE to enjoy for yourself!

Order directly from Three Rooms Press CLICK HERE

ALSO AVAILABLE FROM
Amazon 
Barnes and Noble 
IndieBound 
Powells
iBooks

THE OBAMA INHERITANCE: Fifteen Stories of Conspiracy Noir, 
Edited by Gary Phillips
ISBN: 978-1-941110-59-1 Trade Paperback;
ISBN: 978-1-941110-60-7 ebook;
324 pages; $19.95
Publication date: Tuesday, October 10, 2017
Three Rooms Press

DISTRIBUTED IN THE U.S. AND INTERNATIONALLY BY PGW / INGRAM

Three Rooms Press presents

The Third Annual ¡DADA! LONDON INVASION

A Highly-Charged Performance Event Hell-Bent on Blowing Minds

Celebrating the official London launch of

MAINTENANT 11: A Journal of Contemporary Dada Writing & Art

Saturday, 2 September, 2017 | 6:30 pm

THE HORSE HOSPITAL

Colonnade, Bloomsbury, London WC1N 1JD

Three Rooms Press—the fierce New York-based independent publishing house inspired by Dada, punk and passion—presents an evening of incredibly provocative, disruptive and eclectic art and performance at the third annual ¡DADA! LONDON INVASION Saturday, Sept. 2, 6:30 pm, at the maverick London progressive arts venue The Horse Hospital. Costumes encouraged. Admission is £5.

The event promises to be a wild ride of contemporary Dada performance and poetry, celebrating the latest edition of MAINTENANT, an annual international journal of contemporary Dada writing and art. Performers from the UK and US will be featured, including performance artist-poet Jane Ormerod, poet and sci-art specialist Valerie Laws, jazz poet Jazzman John Clarke, poetry film director Zata Banks, provocative visual and performance artist Becky Fawcett, poet-photographer Derek Adams, and poet-performance artist Cathy Dreyer. Additional performers include poet-performance artists Zata Banks, Sam Dodson, Katy Evans-Bush, Winston Plowes, and Deborah Sibbald. The program will also include a special performance by critically-acclaimed musicians Santa Semeli and Friends. New York-based authors Peter Carlaftes and Kat Georges, co-directors of Three Rooms Press, will host and perform.

The event includes the London launch of the internationally-renowned MAINTENANT 11: Journal of Contemporary Dada Writing and Art (2017, Three Rooms Press), which features more than 150 visual and literary works by artists and writers worldwide on this issue’s theme “Eye for a Lie.” The journal will be available for purchase and signing at the event.

Admission is £5. Doors open 6 pm. The Horse Hospital is at Colonnade, Bloomsbury, London WC1N 1JD. For additional information and press enquires, please contact Peter at info@threeroomspress.com.

About MAINTENANT 11: A Journal of Contemporary Dada Writing and Art

The spirit of Dada continues to thrive in this stunning annual collection of provocative and disruptive Dada-inspired art and writing culled from a plethora of top international contributors, Maintenant 11: A Journal of Contemporary DaDa Writing and Art (Three Rooms Press, 2017) is the most recent installment of an annual series published since 2005. The current issue features an exclusive cover by world-renowned artist Mark Kostabi, plus work by Andrei Cordrescu, Gerard Malanga, Jack Hirschman, Charles Plymell, Mike Watt, Grant Hart, A.D. Winans, Raymond Pettibon, John M. Bennett, S.A. Griffin, Claude Pelieu, Mary Beach, Jean-Jacques Lebel, Joel Hubaut, Philip Meersman, Renaat Ramon, Patrice Lerochereuil and many more. Copies will be available for purchase at the event.

What the heck is Dada?

The original Dada movement peaked from 1916-1922, primarily involved visual arts, literature—poetry, art manifestoes, art theory—theatre, and graphic design, and concentrated its anti-war politics through a rejection of the prevailing standards in art through anti-art cultural works. Its purpose was to ridicule what its participants considered to be the meaninglessness of the modern world. In addition to being anti-war, dada was also anti-bourgeois and anarchist in nature.

About Three Rooms Press

Three Rooms Press is a fiercely independent New York-based publisher inspired by dada, punk and passion. Founded in 1993, it serves as a leading independent publisher of cut-the-edge creative, including fiction, memoir, poetry translations, drama and art. In addition, Three Rooms Press produces and promotes a variety of literary and cultural events in New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and more, including readings, plays, workshops and concerts. Three Rooms Press books are distributed in the U.S. and internationally by PGW/Ingram.

Contact: info@threeroomspress.com; or telephone +1-212-731-0574 or +1-917-443-1695. Website: www.threeroomspress.com

05 Septembre 2017: Dada Paris: An evening of disruptive art to take on the new world

Three Rooms Press presents

The 5th Annual / la 5ème Édition 2017 Entrez ¡DADA! Paris

An Evening of Disruptive and Provocative Poetry, Performance and Music

Une soirée de perturbateur et provocateur la poésie, la performance et la musique

The official Paris book launch for

et le lancement officiel de Paris pour

MAINTENANT 11: A Journal of Contemporary Dada Writing & Art

Tuesday, 5 September, 2017 | 1930h–2300h

LA CAVE CAFÉ

134 Rue Marcadet, 75018, Paris

Three Rooms Press—the fierce New York-based independent publishing house inspired by Dada, punk and passion—presents an evening of incredibly provocative, disruptive and eclectic art and performance celebrating the launch of MAINTENANT, the annual contemporary Dada journal at 2016 Entrez ¡DADA! Paris Tuesday, Sept. 5, 1930h–2300h at the art/music venue La Cave Café. Costumes encouraged. Admission is free.

The event promises to be a wild ride of performance from leading contemporary Dada artists and writers from Paris, Switzerland, and New York, including visual artist and performer Malik Crumpler (New York/Paris) performance & visual artist Joel Hubaut (Paris), performance poet Fork Burke (Switzerland), poet/producer David Barnes (Paris/London), and New York-based performance poet Sophie Malleret. Additional Paris-based performers include dada poet-artist Henrik Aeshna, poet Antonia Alexandra Klimenko, poet Jamika Ajalon, author/director Catherine Sorba, poet-conceptual artist Nina Zivancevic and actor Christophe Touraud. Peter Carlaftes and Kat Georges, co-directors of Three Rooms Press (New York) will host and perform.

The event also includes the Paris launch of the internationally-renowned MAINTENANT 11: Journal of Contemporary Dada Writing and Art (2017, Three Rooms Press), which features more than 150 visual and literary works by artists and writers worldwide on this issue’s theme “Eye for a Lie.” The journal will be available for purchase and signing at the event.

Admission is free. Doors open 7 pm. LA CAVE CAFÉ, 134 Rue Marcadet, 75018, Paris, France | +33 1 46 06 29 17.

For additional information and press enquires, please contact Peter at info@threeroomspress.com.

About MAINTENANT 11: A Journal of Contemporary Dada Writing and Art

The spirit of Dada continues to thrive in this stunning annual collection of provocative and disruptive Dada-inspired art and writing culled from a plethora of top international contributors, Maintenant 11: A Journal of Contemporary DaDa Writing and Art (Three Rooms Press, 2017) is the most recent installment of an annual series published since 2005. The current issue features an exclusive cover by world-renowned artist Mark Kostabi, plus work by Andrei Cordrescu, Gerard Malanga, Jack Hirschman, Charles Plymell, Mike Watt, Grant Hart, A.D. Winans, Raymond Pettibon, John M. Bennett, S.A. Griffin, Claude Pelieu, Mary Beach, Jean-Jacques Lebel, Joel Hubaut, Philip Meersman, Renaat Ramon, Patrice Lerochereuil and many more. Copies will be available for purchase at the event.

What the heck is Dada?

The original Dada movement peaked from 1916-1922, primarily involved visual arts, literature—poetry, art manifestoes, art theory—theatre, and graphic design, and concentrated its anti-war politics through a rejection of the prevailing standards in art through anti-art cultural works. Its purpose was to ridicule what its participants considered to be the meaninglessness of the modern world. In addition to being anti-war, dada was also anti-bourgeois and anarchist in nature.

About Three Rooms Press

Three Rooms Press is a fiercely independent New York-based publisher inspired by dada, punk and passion. Founded in 1993, it serves as a leading independent publisher of cut-the-edge creative, including fiction, memoir, poetry translations, drama and art. In addition, Three Rooms Press produces and promotes a variety of literary and cultural events in New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and more, including readings, plays, workshops and concerts. Three Rooms Press books are distributed in the U.S. and internationally by PGW/Ingram.

Contact: info@threeroomspress.com; or telephone +1-212-731-0574 or +1-917-443-1695. Website: www.threeroomspress.com

Emily Bronte Birthday Celebration and Goth Poetry/Fiction Reading

Celebrate the birthday of legendary goth author EMILY BRONTË at an afternoon of Contemporary Gothic Poetry and Fiction, Sunday, July 30, 4-6 pm at The Parkside Lounge (Houston at Attorney St., NYC). 

The event will feature the phenomenal poet and author Chavisa Woods, whose new book Things to Do When You’re Goth in the Country, was described by Booklist as “This book is tight, intelligent, and important, and sure to secure Woods a seat in the pantheon of critical twenty-first-century voices.” 

In addition, Deirdre Coyle (author of How to Talk to Writers at Parties), and Constance Renfrow (author and editor of Songs of My Selfie: An Anthology of Millennial Writers) will read from their work. 

We’ll also talk about the weird and mysterious life of Emily Brontë, whose only novel, Wuthering Heights, is considered a goth classic. 

An open mic precedes the reading, hosted by poet, playwright and Three Rooms Press co-director Kat Georges. 

Doors open at 3:45 pm. $2 suggested donation and 2 drink minimum. Featured drink: The Dark and Stormy -- the Parkside makes a great one. 

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS: Chavisa Woods is the author of three books of fiction: Things To Do When You're Goth in the Country (Seven Stories Press, 2017) The Albino Album, (Seven Stories Press, 2013); and Love Does Not Make Me Gentle or Kind (Fly by Night Press, 2009). The second edition of this book was released by Autonomedia Press under the Unbearables imprint in 2013. Woods has presented lectures and conducted workshops  on short fiction and poetry at a number of academic institutions, including: New York University (NYU), Penn State, Sarah Lawrence College, Bard College, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn Tech and the New School.


Deirdre Coyle is a goth living in Brooklyn. She is the author of the chapbook How to Talk to Writers at Parties, and her work has appeared in Electric Literature, Lit Hub, Hobart, Joyland, and elsewhere. Find her on Twitter at @DeirdreKoala. 

Constance Renfrow's writing has appeared in such places as Portland Book Review, Huffington Post, Cabildo Quarterly, Denim Skin, and Petrichor Machine. She is editor-in-chief of Three Rooms Press, and hosts a monthly open mic series at New York’s Merchant’s House Museum. Her first book, Songs of My Selfie, an anthology of millennial fiction, was a 2016 IndieFAB finalist. She is pursuing her MFA in fiction from Pacific University.

Enter to win THE OBAMA INHERITANCE: 15 Stories of Conspiracy Noir (Goodreads Giveaway)

If you've never entered a Goodreads giveaway before, this one may be just the ticket for you. We're giving away 5 advance copies of THE OBAMA INHERITANCE, which features over-the-top takes on 15 of the biggest conspiracy theories made up (or were they?) about President Obama. 

In the tradition of satirical works of Swift and Twain, with nods to the likes of William Burroughs, Asimov and Philip K. Dick, these tales contain vigilante First Ladies, Supreme Court judges who can clone themselves, gear-popping robots of doom, and races of ancient lizard people revealing their true master plan. . . and these are just the tame ones mashed up in the blender of fake news bots, climate change is but a hoax by the Chinese and humans roamed with dinosaurs.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Obama Inheritance

by Gary Phillips

Giveaway ends July 25, 2017.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

In an era where the outlandish and fantastic has permeated our media 24/7, where mind-bending conspiracy theories shape our views, THE OBAMA INHERITANCE writers riff on the numerous fictions spun about the 44th president of the U.S. Although Obama himself does not appear in most of these stories, contributors spin deliberately outlandish and fantastic twists on many of the dozens of screwball, bizarro conspiracy theories floated about the president during his years in office and turn them on their heads.



THE OBAMA INHERITANCE editor Gary Phillips is a critically acclaimed author of mystery and graphic novels (Peepland, Violent Spring and Warlord of Willow Ridge). Raised in South Central Los Angeles, Phillips draws on his experiences from anti-police abuse community organizing and anti-apartheid activism. He was the chair of the Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color committee, and is president of the Private Eye Writers of America. 



Contributors include:

Eric Beetner | Christopher Chambers Kate Flora | Adam Lance Garcia 

Danny Gardner | L. Scott Jose Lise McClendon | Walter Mosley 

Andrew Nette | Gary Phillips Travis Richardson | Nisi Shawl 

Robert Silverberg | Anthony Neil Smith | Désirée Zamorano
________________

An Excerpt from the Introduction by Editor Gary Phillips 

It was a cumulative thing really. There was no one particular right-wing, whacked-out conspiracy theory about Obama that stayed with me more than any of the others during his presidency. He was born in Kenya into a secret Muslim sect; had his grandma killed to cover up the truth about his birth; used secret weather machines to cause Hurricane Sandy, and on and on. 

To many of us, the daily roll out of these preposterous notions about the nation’s first black president was laughable. But damned if these bizarro scenarios crept in from the fringes to find purchase on outlets like Breitbart, Alex Jones and what have you. . . . 

 This collection is a nod to the Great Depression pulps of the 1930s, portrayals of the odd 
and the strange, lost worlds and larger than life characters, has a soundtrack by Parliament/Funkadelic and Hendrix, and is inhabited by the sensibilities of the hardboiled and the damned. In The Obama Inheritance, in an era that might be cast as the depths of the Great Deception, you’ll discover sobering truths amid the fantastic fictions these new pulp stories deliver from the first page on. 

Can you dig it?

---

PREORDER NOW! Amazon
Barnes and Noble
IndieBound
Powells Books  

---

X-FILES Lovers! Enter to Win WEIRD GIRL AND WHAT’S HIS NAME

Het, X-FILES Lovers! Enter to Win 1 of 5 copies of the IndieFAB YA book of the year, WEIRD GIRL AND WHAT’S HIS NAME by Meagan Brothers.

We at Three Rooms Press read Jezebel’s feature, “The X-Files Revival Doesn’t Have a Single Woman Writer on Staff” and immediately wondered where in all the universe Chris Carter could find a woman writer who also knows a lot of things about the X-Files.

Surely it couldn't be Meagan Brothers, author of Weird Girl and What’s His Name—a YA novel about two best friends obsessed with the X-Files. Nope. Definitely not.

So as we prepare for a brand new season of The X-Files, we’re giving away 5 copies of Weird Girl and What’s His Name on Goodreads! Enter to win a copy of this incredible book by a female X-Files-obsessed writer(!!) about fandom, friendship, and finding one’s place in the world.

WEIRD GIRL was awarded IndieFAB YA Book of the Year 2015, and was also named to Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Books 2015. But don't think it's only for youngsters. Readers young and old love this book.

Here's what folks are saying:

"What could have been a niche novel only for X-Philes is a quirky, thoughtful illumination of identity formation and the difficulty of assigning labels to love." —The Globe and Mail

“Voices are crisply and intimately drawn. Minor characters are equally vibrant . . . Carefully and subtly imagined.” —Kirkus Reviews

"Fanboys and fangirls, rejoice! This wise and witty book is pure teen-geek heaven!" —--J.C. Lillis, author, How to Repair a Mechanical Heart

"Meaningful, original, and truthful. As someone who's been both a weird girl and a what's her name, I heartily endorse this book." —Janice Erlbaum, author, I. Liar and Girlbomb

"Rory and Lula might bond over out-there sci-fi, but their relationship is as real as it gets. To paraphrase their favorite show: The truth is in here." —D.C. Pierson, author, The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep and Never Had To

Sign up for the chance to win one of FIVE (5) advance reader print galleys. No purchase necessary. To enter click Weird Girl Giveaway Entry Form.

Open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia, age 14 or older.

Sweepstakes begins July 6, 2017. Entries must be received no later than July 20, 2017 11:59:59 PM Eastern Time. Winners will be selected on or about July 21, 2017. LIMIT ONE ENTRY PER PERSON. Anyone entering more than once will be disqualified.

Void where prohibited by law.

Now thru July 15: Enter to win Robert Silverberg's latest collection

We're giving away Advance copies of FIRST-PERSON SINGULARITIES, a new collection of classic tales by the legendary sci-fi Grand Master ROBERT SILVERBERG—all written in the first-person! Oh, and, by the way—the intro is by Hugo-award winning sci-fi phenom and notorious blogger JOHN SCALZI. But don't wait too long to enter! This contest ends at midnight on Saturday, July 15. So hurry! Click here or the button below and get your name on the list, fast!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

First Person Singularities

by Robert Silverberg

Giveaway ends July 15, 2017. See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Each story in FIRST-PERSON SINGULARITIES offers a one-of-a-kind narrator: a dolphin feeling the pangs of love for a human being; a computer eager to convince us of its sanity; a Greek good who has surreptitiously survived into modern times; an alien visitor living in disguise in a New York City hotel. Even a pudgy, timid Henry James gets the Silverberg treatment as the witness/narrator of H.G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds. Each story features a special introduction by Silverberg, providing the inside scoop on his experience writing for, and publishing with, the greatest science fiction magazines of the past and present. For more info about this brilliant title, and to find out how to pre-order, click here.

Stay Thirsty Magazine: ByTHIRSTYWilliam Least Heat-Moon captivatedt...

Stay Thirsty Magazine:


ByTHIRSTY


William Least Heat-Moon captivatedt...: By THIRSTY William Least Heat-Moon captivated the American reading public in 1982 with the release of his first nonfiction b...

Three Rooms Press Featured in leading industry journal Publishers Weekly

This spring, Three Rooms Press is releasing Celestial Mechanics, the debut novel of bestselling author William Least Heat-Moon. It's our first hardcover, and it's a very big deal: Heat-Moon's classic travel book Blue Highways was on the New York Times Bestseller list for 42 weeks, and has sold more than 6 million copies, and each of his subsequent books have also received a very wide readership. 

On a personal note, Three Rooms Press co-director Kat Georges notes that Blue Highways was one of the most influential books she read as a young adult, inspiring her with the Heat-Moon's masterful writing style. The release has generated critical praise and as the release date approaches, the popular publishing industry trade publication Publishers Weekly took an interest, resulting in a prominent feature article in its most recent issue.

“We’re in this to do good for the reader, the publishing world, for literature as a whole,” Carlaftes said. “That’s where we’re at.

Read the full article here. And thanks for your ongoing support of Three Rooms Press. Be sure to keep in touch! William Least Heat-Moon's debut novel is available online from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Powells. You can also order it from an indie bookstore close to you by visiting indiebound.org and typing in your zip code. Or order directly from your favorite fiercely independent publisher.

SleuthSayers: The very best stories of 2016

SleuthSayers: The very best stories of 2016: by Robert Lopresti

So thrilled to see that 2 stories from CRIME PLUS MUSIC were picked for this notable list. Congratulations to VAL McDERMID for her story "The Long Black Veil" and to MARK HASKELL SMITH for his tale "1968 Pelham Blue SG Jr." as well as to editor Jim Fusilli for picking such winners throughout the book!

Be sure to get your copy of CRIME PLUS MUSIC today. Available at:

 
 

 

Or order directly from your favorite fiercely independent publisher Three Rooms Press:

Dada100 European Tour Dates

Hey, Europe! Get ready: Three Rooms Press is hitting the road for a Dada 100 European Tour!

Here's the deets:

September 3: 2nd Annual Dada London Invasion, Horse Hospital, London
September 6: 4th Annual Entrez Dada Paris, Au Chat Noir, Paris
September 8–11: Third Annual Brussels Poetry Fest, Various locations, Brussels

All events are open to the public. Check out flyers for details. Pick a town, pick a date and stop by and say hello!

Three Rooms Press presents

DADA ON THE HUDSON

A Highly Eclectic Performance Event Hell-Bent on Blowing Minds 

CELEBRATING THE 

100th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DADA MOVEMENT

plus the Hudson Valley launch of

MAINTENANT 10: Journal of Contemporary Dada Writing and Art

Sunday, July 31, 2016 | 3:30–6:00 pm

at the former Church of the Sacred Heart

88 Station Hill Road, Barrytown, NY 12507

details: info@threeroomspress.com

Prepare for an afternoon of incredibly provocative, eclectic art and performance on as Three Rooms Press presents DADA ON THE HUDSON, featuring an array of contemporary dada performance and poetry by leading maverick artists. The event includes the Hudson Valley  launch of the internationally-renowned MAINTENANT 10: Journal of Contemporary Dada Writing and Art (2016, Three Rooms Press), featuring more than 150 visual and literary works by artists and writers from around the world, in full color. DADA ON THE HUDSON takes place Sunday, July 31, 3:30–6:00 pm at the former Church of the Sacred Heart at 88 Station Hill Road in Barrytown, NY. The church is recognized for its role as a performance outpost of the Fluxus movement. Costumes encouraged. Come as you aren’t.

Featured performers include renowned poet and essayist Charles Plymell, surrealist poet and writer Janet Hamill, NPR social commentator and poet Andrei Codrescu, editor and poet Djelloul Marbrook, neo-conceptual artist Heide Hatry, avant-garde poet and New York Group founder Yuriy Tarnawsky, photographer Phil Scalia, dada poetry scholar William Seaton, performance artists Franco Götte and Martina Salisbury, letterpress publisher/poet Bill Roberts, and performance poets Sophie Malleret, Ann Firestone Ungar, and Patricia Leonard. Three Rooms Press co-directors Peter Carlaftes and Kat Georges will host the event.

Admission is free. For additional information and reservations, please email info@threeroomspress.com.

NOTE: As a special added treat, Bill Roberts from http://www.bospress.net will have a letterpress printer ON-SITE and will print a special commemorative piece celebrating the 100th anniversary of Dada exclusively for those attending the event!

About Maintenant 10

Maintenant 10: A Journal of Contemporary DaDa Writing and Art (Three Rooms Press, 2016) is the most recent installment of an annual series published since 2005. The current issue features work by Andrei Cordrescu, Jerome Rothenberg, Anne Waldman, Charles Plymell, Mike Watt, Grant Hart, A.D. Winans, Mark Kostabi, Raymond Pettibon, John M. Bennett, S.A. Griffin, Claude Pelieu, Mary Beach, Jean-Jacques Lebel, Joel Hubaut, Philip Meersman, Renaat Ramon, Patrice Lerochereuil and many more. Copies will be available for purchase at the event.

About Three Rooms Press

Three Rooms Press is a fiercely independent New York-based publisher inspired by dada, punk and passion. Founded in 1993, it serves as a leading independent publisher of cut-the-edge creative, including fiction, memoir, poetry translations, drama and art. In addition, Three Rooms Press produces and promotes a variety of literary and cultural events in New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and more, including readings, plays, workshops and concerts. Three Rooms Press books are distributed in the U.S. and internationally by PGW.

02/05/16: 3rd Annual NYC William S. Burroughs Birthday Tribute featuring Genesis Breyer P-Orridge

Three Rooms Press presents BURROUGHS 10.2, the third annual celebration of the birthday of Beat icon and postmodern trailblazer William S. Burroughs, plus a special tribute to fellow wild boy David Bowie, on Friday, February 5, at Cornelia Street Cafe. 

The event will be highlighted by work from renowned performance artist Genesis P-Orridge, Burroughs readings by poet Aimee Herman and jazz poet/collagist Steve Dalachinsky; a re-enactment of the 1974 Rolling Stone Magazine conversation between William Burroughs and David Bowie, plus a moving singalong to favorite Bowie songs led by (direct from The Late Show) singer/guitarist Davey Patterson. Three Rooms Press co-directors Peter Carlaftes and Kat Georges host. 

Doors open at 5:45. Admission is $12 which includes a free drink. Cornelia Street Cafe is at 29 Cornelia Street, in the West Village, between W. 4th Street at Bleecker (http://corneliastreecafe.com/).  Additional details: info@threeroomspress.com.

It takes work to give peace a chance

Independent Publishers: Thriving with Creative Visions

 

By KAT GEORGES 
Co-Director, Three Rooms Press 

It’s a strange time in the world of publishing. The giant publishers continue to merge. Independent bookstores continue the struggle to keep their doors open. New technology has made it easy for authors to publish their own books. 

Yet, somehow, independent publishers are thriving. According to Jeff Herman, author of Guide to Book Publishers, Editors and Agents, independent publishers make up half of the $29 billion annual revenue of the publishing world. 

Many small presses are well-known and quite successful, even with out-of-the-ordinary literary titles. Grove Press’ recent release of Helen McDonald’s fabulous memoir H Is For Hawk began with a print run of 5,000 and has sold a staggering 62,000 copies since its March release—a year before the paperback is due out. 

Other small presses are “micro” in their size—under twenty releases per year—yet “macro” in their enthusiasm and commitment to publishing the highest quality work. These micro presses are fueled by passion and commitment to a vision. Three Rooms Press featured five of these New York-based, fiercely independent publishers on July 3 at its third annual “That’s Independents!” celebration of small presses at Cornelia Street Cafe, and discussed the state of the industry with them. 

It’s All About the Vision 

If one thing unites the small presses, it is their dedication to their unique vision. 

For example, Great Weather for Media, which publishes solo poetry collections as well as a cross-genre annual anthology, is committed to “the unpredictable, the fearless, the bright , the dark, and the innovative,” according to co-founder Jane Ormerod. This vision is clearly visible in their most recent release, Debridement, a poetry collection by Corrina Bain, whose poems, as described by NEA fellow and poet Sam Sax “have no qualm reaching down your throat and pulling out your living heart just to say look at it, look. Look.” 

By contrast, the vision can be very broad in scope. Dustin Nelson, founder of InDigest, a magazine and book publisher focusing on “good story-telling in all forms and artists whose curiosity drives them to push beyond the conventions of their media,” incorporates digital work into their publishing scope. "We've published lots of stories and poems, but we've also published videos, GIFs, scripts, podcasts, audio stories, pamphlets, centos built from the Wikileaks Centos, broadsides, games, reviews, rants, diatribes, broadcasts about the apocalypse, memoir, we've told lies about Shakespeare and passed them off as truth, published round table discussions, and have always been open to doing anything that's been created that you can make an argument for calling literary." With so much potential variety, the publisher's role has greatly expanded. 

A Curatorial Role 

In an age where anyone can publish their own book, and the Big Five could publish everything else, small presses have had to find a way to continue make themselves necessary. While they lack the resources to match the six- to eight-figure advances of the major publishers (let alone four- to five-figure advances!), they have the advantage of being willing to take chances on unknown authors and new formats. Small presses have developed into a role of “curator”—presenting consistently high quality work from a variety of authors to an audience carefully cultivated over a number of years. 

Nelson from InDigest notes that “Publishers offer curation and a voice you can trust at a time when there’s so much available that sifting through it would be a full time job.” He adds, “Publishers are still a reader’s most valuable ally.” 

Ron Kolm, founder of The Unbearables—a publisher of “avant-garde writing that attacks the status quo by using the weapon of noir humor”—agrees with Nelson, noting that when independent publishers consistently produce high-quality, good-looking books, “a sort of trust develops between the press and potential buyers or readers . . . And in a world as out of focus as the one we live in, that is not a bad thing at all.” 

Okay, But How Do I Get Published By Them? 

With all this vision and curation, independent publishers might seem to be a perfect fit for all authors who consider themselves to be on the “cutting edge.” But every vision has its boundaries. So how does the aspiring writer hop onto the small press train? 

Start by reading the guidelines, Ormerod notes. “A 50,000 word story will not fit into an anthology. That 30 page epic poem is a ‘no’ as well. We understand the odd typo, but please review your work before sending it to us.” 

Research helps, adds Nelson. “Start a conversation . . . Start talking to people and read other presses. It’s often easiest to define something by figuring out what it’s not . . . . Read. Read. Read. Read. Read. Watch TV. Have a beer. Make popcorn. Read again. Talk to a publisher. They don’t really know more than you . . . We all just like books, right?” 

And Kolm recommends networking. “We are very open; we add ‘members’ all the time,” he says. “All one really has to do is come to one of our readings and hang out. We like to drink in downtown bars, such as the Parkside Lounge and the Sidewalk Café, and occasionally, we even shoot pool! Chalk up your cue stick!” 

Three Rooms Press has been hosting annual celebrations of Independent Presses since 2010. According to co-director Peter Carlaftes, it’s a great way for authors to hear readers from a number of presses, and informally meet with them to discover more about what they’re looking for. For Three Rooms, the genre is less important than the style. “We’re publish cut-the-edge creations,” says Carlaftes. “Everything we do has a certain distinctive twist that makes it stand apart from other books in the field.” Forthcoming works include Meagan Brothers’ Weird Girl and What’s His Name, an LGBTQ young adult novel, and Aram Saroyan’s Still Night in L.A. a detective novel by the famed concrete poet. 

“We publish because we want to add fresh ideas to an increasingly homogenized world,” Carlaftes muses. “It’s our way of saving the planet.”

052015: Another Awesome Launch for Last Boat to Yokohama

The second launch celebration of LAST BOAT TO YOKOHAMA: The Life and Legacy of Beate Sirota Gordon was an extraordinary affair, set against the backdrop of ancient statues, paintings and tapestries of Himalayan Asia in the gorgeous Rubin Museum in the Chelsea area of Manhattan. 

Six speakers/performers included authors Nassrine Azimi and Michel Wasserman, Beate's son and daughter Nicole Gordon and Geoffrey Paul Gordon, Rubin Museum trustee Richard Lanier, and Japanese performance artist/dancer Eiko. The event was followed by a reception in the very cool Rubin cafe on the first floor, with authors signing books to the sounds of live Nepalese musicians. Enjoy the photos from the event!

Peter Carlaftes, Three Rooms Press co-director, introduces Last Boat to Yokohama.

Carlaftes continues his introduction,

Richard Lanier, Rubin Museum trustee, speaks.

Richard Lanier.

Author Nassrine Azimi explains how she became interested in Beate Sirota Gordon.

Author Nassrine Azimi shares a story of Beate.

Author Michel Wasserman explains his part in the project.

Michel Wasserman shares moments from the authors interviews with Beate.

Nicole Gordon, Beate's daughter, offers memories of her mother.

Nicole Gordon.

Japanese performance artist/dancer Eiko (of Eiko and Komo).

Niko's dance, performed for the first time.

Eiko concludes her dance.

Playwright/actor Geoffrey Paul Gordon, Beate's son.

Geoffrey Paul Gordon, Eiko, and Nicole Gordon.

Authors sign books following the presentation.

At the book signing.

Signing copies of LAST BOAT TO YOKOHAMA.

LAST BOAT TO YOKOHAMA authors Nassrine Azimi and Michel Wasserman.