The Journey (So Far) of Abalone Mountain Press

HEN I started Abalone Mountain Press, I had not read “The Unbearable Whiteness of Publishing,” an article by James Ledbetter, a white cis male, calling out racial inequity and lack of diverse voices, narratives, and jobs in the book and magazine publishing world that was published in the in 1995. Nor had I looked up statistics of how much more money white writers were receiving for their work. I didn’t have to. I walk through this Western world as a non-white-passing, Indigenous woman who says “dang” and “um” too much. I was not groomed to be a writer, poet, publisher, zinester, intersectional feminist, or middle-class member of society. But I did know how to put together a book, and if I didn’t know a book-art-related skill, I taught myself. I can’t say I’m a master, but I am proud to say that at Abalone Mountain Press we make our books, zines, and stickers in house. One day I would love if we made our own paper, but my imagination tends