Small Press Saturday: Between The Lines Press
Test deployment of the bonus anti-harassment flap for Feminist City: A Field Guide by Leslie Kern.
Happy Saturday, once again!
It’s been a week, the mask mandate has been lifted in Alberta, the Calgary Stampede has begun, and Jason Kenney has shuffled the cabinet – needless to say I am in a mood about things. So today is the best day to introduce you to self-proclaimed “proudly left-wing” Between the Lines Press.
Between the Lines was founded in 1977 and their organizational structure is nothing short of awesome – they have no boss, no individual owner, and are run by a small group of staff and a dedicated volunteer editorial committee. They have a fascinating history and I urge you to read all about them on their website.
They publish only nonfiction in the areas of politics and public policy, social issues, activism and social movements, development studies, critical race studies, Indigenous issues, history, sociology, popular education, the environment, gender and sexuality, social work, labour, globalization, criminology, technology, media, and culture. The nonfiction books they publish reflect their activist roots and their commitment to social justice struggles.
One of their books caught my eye at Owl’s Nest and I have been internally nerding out over the book’s design as well as the thought-provoking content. Feminist City: A Field Guide by Leslie Kern has a gorgeous cover and a bonus anti-harassment flap. It is a compelling collection of essays that will get you thinking about how cities are designed and function within the framework of the patriarchy and how our cities could take a feminist intersectional approach to urban histories and find pathways towards different urban futures.
Front cover for Feminist City: A Field Guide by Leslie Kern.
Back cover for Feminist City: A Field Guide by Leslie Kern.
Bonus anti-harassment flap for Feminist City: A Field Guide by Leslie Kern.
Another one that caught my eye is Unearthing Justice: How to Protect Your Community from the Mining Industry by Joan Kuyek. Published in 2019 and highly relevant to Albertans right now. We need to focus on renewable resources and sustainability. Fossil fuels are in the past. Also, The Case for Basic Income: Freedom, Security, Justice by Jamie Swift and Elaine Power. Seriously, sign me the fuck up for this please. Then I wouldn’t have to work two jobs just to survive.
Covers for The Case for Basic Income: Freedom, Security, Justice, by Jamie Swift and Elaine Power, and Unearthing Justice, by Joan Kuyek.
Cover for The Vimy Trap: Or, How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Great War, by Ian McKay and Jamie Swift.
Between the Lines has a phenomenal backlist of titles that will challenge and educate as well as entertain. I mean some of their book titles alone are downright fabulous, like Advertising Shits in Your Head by Vyvian Raoul, Do Androids Dream of Electric Cars? by James Wilt, and Random Acts of Culture by Clarke Mackey.
So, if you are also in a mood over things this weekend, I highly recommend checking out Between the Lines – they may just have the perfect subversive and inspiring book for you.
Happy Reading!
– Stacey
Find Between The Line books at your local Canadian indie bookseller
