Welcome to our first blog on our brand new and shiny website.
You may have noticed that we've been quiet these past couple of months. We've been taking it easy, trying to pin down a healthier, less emotionally and physically exhausting way to work on our projects. Burnout is bad for everyone involved and we've been resting and thinking of how to claw our way out of it and keep publishing good books.
Not to worry, we are building back up our strength step by step, learning how to divvy up the time we are willing to dedicate to the press.
Great news: this year we are rejoined by Lenka Murová and Kanika Praharaj, they will be taking on the roles of Creative Director and Consulting Editor, respectively. We welcome them back with open arms and with the knowledge that this will massively help us pursue our goals, especially when it comes to spreading out the workload, delegating and having fresh eyes on a project.
This year we promise to deliver you the second and final volume of F, M or Other – Queer Quarrels.
We realise that some of you have been waiting for it for some time. This is a big step for us. The first volume was our first foray into the world of publishing and crowdfunding, lots of things were learned from that first Kickstarter, including some tough and expensive lessons. Especially how to make better printing decisions and just how emotionally and physically draining a campaign can be.
We believe we're ready to tackle Volume 2 this Spring. We will take it more slowly, with a more reasonable timescale between funding and delivery, which we expect will give us the peace of mind and the room to breathe that we need!
Expect to see us announcing the Kickstarter and the relevant shenanigans towards beginning of May. With this timeline in mind, we hope to publish Volume 2 and bring back Volume 1 this Autumn.
Our second publication of the year will be a Wicked Wee Book, the details are yet TBC but expect a cracking wee read landing on your doorstep sometime in December 2020.
We're only two months into 2020 and our authors have achieved some spectacular things that we'd love to share with you:
Eris Young, author of the much-loved speculative short story "The Archivist" in our anthology F, M or Other (Volume 1), has published a non-fiction book in the autumn of 2019 Jessica Kingsley Publishing that focuses on non-binary and genderqueer identities. "They/them/their: A Guide to Nonbinary & Genderqueer Identities" is available in all the good brick and mortar bookshops and can be purchased online. You can read this article in The List to learn more about the thought and process behind the book.
Following close on the heels of this news, Eris has also been awarded the Scottish Book Trust's New Writers Award 2020! We think this was a fantastic decision on behalf of those who selected the awardees and we cannot wait to see how Eris' writing flourishes with their support. The Scottish Book Trust is a vital organisation for the book writing and book loving community of Scotland, they support readers and writers of all ages and are a big part of what makes us love calling Scotland our home base.
Ely Percy, author of the tongue-in-cheek Glaswegian romcom feature whip Vicky Romeo Plus Joolz, has secured the publication of their serialised novel Duck Feet with Monstrous Regiment Publishing, it is due to be published this summer and we recommend you keep your eyes peeled for its release. Ely's writing is sharp, funny and full of character. We are extremely chuffed for them and cannot wait to get our hands on a copy.
Michael Lee Richardson will be hosting a queer, alternative Valentine's event at Category is Books, Glasgow, on the 14th of this month, featuring Ely and Ryan Vance (both Michael, Ryan and Ely are Queering the Map of Glasgow contributors).
Gray Crosbie is a poet and spoken-word performer, we published their first collection of flash-fiction, Love, Pan-Fried, in August 2019 as part of the Wicked Wee Books pamphlet series (number 2). Gray will also appear at the Golden Hare bookshop this month at their Listen Softly event series alongside Briana Pegado and Theresa Muñoz. In the past year, Gray has been making waves with their poetry films, commissioned by BBC The Social. This month, one of our favourite poems by them has been made into a film (CW – dysphoria, misgendering):
CW: coming out, misgendering, body dysmorphia, dysphoria
Here is a selection of their other poetry films that we hope you enjoy: I left a part of myself in the closet , We Are Transgender and Covering Scars with Summer Jumpers (CW: self harm, scars)
In Solidarity
The Knight Errant Team
