Cover art and design by Rachel A. Rosen
NEWS RELEASE
FOR RELEASE MAY 10TH, 2025 OR LATER
Small Press Owners Escape the US, begin publishing the Antifa Lit Journal
Independence, Oregon – Not a Pipe Publishing will be releasing the first issue of a literary journal, the Antifa Lit Journal, on May 31st. It’s available for pre-order now, and the company has launched a Kickstarter to fund the release of Volume 2.
[Kickstarter HERE]
When Chrys and Benjamin Gorman, owners of Not a Pipe Publishing, saw the results come in on Election Night, they knew they didn’t have much time. As Chrys Gorman writes in the introduction to the Antifa Lit Journal, Volume 1: “We packed, sold, and donated every aspect of our life, hopped on a plane, and started to rebuild in Spain. … But in those months between Election Night and Inauguration Day, I found myself existing in a constant state of fear. Far too many of my neighbors believed that my life did not matter, that the lives of our fellow human beings did not matter.” Once safely across the border, they published Benjamin Gorman’s book Dear America, A Breakup Letter, in which he explains his reasons for leaving. When it became a surprise bestseller, Chrys had an idea. She suggested putting together an anthology of antifascist literature. Not a Pipe Publishing, a small, activist publishing company located in Independence, Oregon, has a history of themed anthologies, including Written With Pride, an all-LGBTQIA+ anthology, and Strongly Worded Women, an anthology written exclusively by women authors. When Not a Pipe sought submissions for an antifascist anthology, the results were overwhelming. “So many talented writers were desperate to have a venue to speak out against fascism, to process their fear, and to provide readers with an alternate vision of the future. As we poured over all the submissions, we realized we could easily populate a regular journal with high quality short fiction and poetry. So the anthology became Volume 1,” explains Benjamin Gorman.
Volume 1 takes its subtitle from the short story by Rachel A. Rosen, “What If We Kissed While Sinking a Billionaire’s Yacht?” The first volume includes poetry and short fiction, some of it frightening, some hopeful, some darkly funny, some despairing. "Challenging and engrossing, this issue offers a full spectrum of emotion for the anti-authoritarian spirit," writes Kelly Rose Pflug-Back, author of the poetry collection The Hammer of Witches. "In times of tyranny, the voices of comedy and subversion ring the truest and most brave. This is a book for these times," writes Jason Brick, author of Wrestling Demons and Safest Family on the Block.
Chrys and Benjamin knew the journal’s name would ruffle some feathers. “We debated whether to call it ‘Antifascist’ or ‘Antifa.’” Benjamin says. “Some people make a distinction, and I would challenge them to reconsider. Trying to be the more palatable version of antifascism serves no one. A fascist regime will not honor the distinction, and we cannot allow the term to come to be defined by its opponents in the same way misogynists have tried to redefine feminism to mean misandry.”
Not a Pipe Publishing plans to release the Antifa Lit Journal twice a year, and they are already accepting submissions for Volume 2 via the company website. “Trump has already gone after one author who criticized him, accusing him of ‘treason’ and ordering the Justice Department to investigate him,” Benjamin says, referencing Miles Taylor, author of A Warning. “I expect it will get worse before it gets better. We’re safely out of Trump’s reach now that we’re legal residents of Spain, and we feel an obligation to use our distance to help authors from around the world speak out against fascism everywhere.”
For more information, a review copy, or to schedule an interview with Chrys and Benjamin Gorman or one of the authors, contact Not a Pipe Publishing at NotAPipePublishing [at] gmail [dot] com