Milkweed Editions

12/09/2024

👀 A first look at THE END OF CHILDHOOD: POEMS by Wayne Miller, publishing on March 25, 2025.

📖 A tender and provocative collection of poems interrogating the troubles and wonders of both childhood and parenthood against the backdrop of global violence.

🔗 Learn more and preorder here: milkweed.org/book/the-end-of-childhood.

🎨 Cover art by Julie Blackmon; cover design by Adam Bohanan

12/06/2024

“I’m interested in the way that as writers we can think of our work as offerings, as things that go out in the world and do work beyond us [. . .] When I think of loving-kindness as an offering that spirals outward, I think that poems can do that too.”—U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón

In a recent episode of Tricycle Talks, Tricycle: The Buddhist Review’s editor-in-chief, James Shaheen, sat down with Limón to discuss how poems can slow us down and return us to the present moment, her practice of loving-kindness and how it influences her writing, and how writing can be an act of offering something back to the planet. Read or listen to the conversation here: https://tricycle.org/magazine/ada-limon-power-poetry/?utm_campaign=02527038&utm_source=p3s4h3r3s.

Learn more about YOU ARE HERE: POETRY IN THE NATURAL WORLD here: https://milkweed.org/you-are-here-poetry-in-the-natural-world.

Poet Laureate Ada Limón talks with Tricycle about her firm belief in the power of poetry as an offering of loving-kindness to the world

12/03/2024

Today is ! As a nonprofit press, we appreciate the contributions you all have made to sustain our publishing program. Without your. support, we would not be able to publish life-changing literature like these 20 books we published in 2024! ⁠
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Consider joining our membership program as a sustainer for as little as $5/month to help us publish our incredible forthcoming line-up of books scheduled for 2025 and beyond!⁠ Learn more here: milkweed.org/milkweed-membership.
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We are grateful for your continued support as readers, members, librarians, educators, booksellers (we love you, booksellers!), donors, authors, conversation partners, book club hosts, board members, community partners, fans, followers, email subscribers, and sharers of the work we do. Thank you. ⁠
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Milkweed Editions is an independent publisher of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. We believe that literature has the potential to change the way we see the world.

12/03/2024

“Part memoir, part manifesto, ‘Braiding Sweetgrass’ calls for radically changing our relationship with plants and ecosystems from one of unchecked consumption into one of reciprocity and care. It’s also a tender and poignant love letter to Kimmerer’s plant teachers — from the humble mosses that captivated her as a graduate student to majestic western red cedars with trunks that can span 50 feet, which Kimmerer calls by their Salish name, Mother Cedar.”—The New York Times

Pick up your copies of BRAIDING SWEETGRASS and her new book THE SERVICEBERRY wherever you like to get your books. Pro tip: the special edition hardcover of BRAIDING SWEETGRASS makes a perfect holiday gift!

Check out the full story on Robin Wall Kimmerer in The New York Times here: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/29/books/braiding-sweetgrass-serviceberry-robin-wall-kimmerer.html.

The world is a gift, not a giant Amazon warehouse, Robin Wall Kimmerer said. In her new book, “The Serviceberry,” she proposes gratitude as an antidote to prevailing views of nature as a commodity.

11/27/2024

Have you read these books by Darrel J. McLeod? ⁠
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Darrel was an uncommonly beautiful and gentle soul whose stories about finding his voice as a two-spirit, Indigenous man moved readers across the globe. Along with his activism and service to Indigenous causes, his books brought forth vital stories of heritage, compassion, forgiveness, and hope.⁠
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In MAMASKATCH—Cree for “It’s a wonder!”— McLeod shares the stories of his family and childhood, both the moments filled with joy and devastating memories. ⁠
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PEYAKOW—Cree for “one who walks alone”—continues his life story into an adulthood filled with loss, love, addiction, and perseverance. McLeod’s life was not an easy one, yet his storytelling is full of brilliance, wisdom and heart, inspiring others to find their way to healing from trauma. ⁠
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Pick up these two books from your local library or bookstore today and learn more here: https://milkweed.org/blog/rest-in-peace-darrel-j-mcleod.
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as an opportunity to further honor the history, culture, and contemporary creative contributions of all Indigenous people. Milkweed Editions is an independent publisher of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. We believe that literature has the potential to change the way we see the world. We champion life-changing literature by Indigenous authors like Darrel McLeod year-round.

Explore more titles by Indigenous authors here: https://milkweed.org/collection/indigenous-authors.

11/27/2024

Milkweed members support ground-breaking literature, increase access to global perspectives, champion essential voices, expand the possibilities of poetry, and amplify vital ideas. ⁠
⁠
Receive a signature “Because reading is life-changing” tote when you join our community of sustaining supporters as a member before November 30, 2024! ⁠
⁠
Learn more about membership levels and benefits, and sign up at milkweed.org/membership.
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Did you know Milkweed is an independent publisher incorporated as a nonprofit organization? While sales of our books support our mission, it is contributions from our community that enable us to focus on acquiring projects based on artistic merit rather than commercial sales projections, to work with authors to develop these projects to their full potential, and to connect them with readers in increasingly innovative ways. Publishing transformative literature often entails years of investment, and we need your support to make it possible.

11/26/2024

We are delighted to see two poetry titles on NPR's 2024 Books We Love list: [. . .] by Fady Joudah and YOU ARE HERE, edited by U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón!⁠
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"A wordless title is incredibly fitting for this National Book Award finalist poetry collection that is felt more than it is read. Fady Joudah writes of the horror faced by Palestinians as they live, love and die through war and violence against them. The poem “Dedication” lists the many whom these poems are dedicated to. 'To the martyrs who witness from above, and the living who witness on the ground. To those who will be killed on the last day of the war. To those who will be killed on the first day after the war ends. To those who succumb in the humanitarian window of horror. An hour before the pause, a minute after.' The collection shows us the world through Palestinian eyes at a time when such a worldview is most needed."—Anika Steffen for NPR⁠
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"This anthology of 50 never-before-published poems about nature was edited by the 24th poet laureate of the United States, Ada Limón. The collection is both achingly beautiful and terrifyingly urgent. From a humorous take on getting drenched in a rainstorm to a beloved tree on its last day of existence to a woman processing the bleak reality of the world her grandchildren will inherit, these poems encouraged a heightened noticing in me and (bonus!) introduced me to the work of many new-to-me poets I’m eager to explore." —Beck Harlan for NPR⁠
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Check out the full list of recommended reading from NPR here: https://apps.npr.org/best-books/ =covers&year=2024, and pick up your copies of these two books of poetry wherever books are sold!

Here are 350+ great reads from 2024 hand-picked just for you by NPR staff and trusted critics.

11/25/2024

"This book is part memoir, part history of exploration, part rumination on our changing climate. Telling the story of her voyage to Antarctica accompanying a scientific journey, journalist Elizabeth Rush weaves the three together seamlessly, as she also considers her own choice to have a child. Her focus on the maternal is innovative — books about Antarctica are almost always about men, whether it's the men who first explored the continent, or the men who now lead many of the scientific expeditions. 'The Quickening' addresses that history head-on, and recasts humanity's quest to understand Antarctica as a feminine pursuit."—Judges' citation

The Society of Environmental Journalists selected THE QUICKENING by Elizabeth Rush as an Honorable Mention for the 2024 Rachel Carson Environment Book Award! Learn more here:https://www.sej.org/rachel-carson-environment-book-award-sej-23rd-annual-awards-reporting-environment -hm3

And pick up your copy of THE QUICKENING from your favorite bookstore or library today! https://milkweed.org/book/the-quickening

11/22/2024

Milkweed members support ground-breaking literature, increase access to global perspectives, champion essential voices, expand the possibilities of poetry, and amplify vital ideas. ⁠
⁠
Receive a signature “Because reading is life-changing” tote when you join our community of sustaining supporters as a member before November 30, 2024! ⁠
⁠
Learn more about membership levels and benefits, and sign up here: https://milkweed.org/milkweed-membership.
⁠
Did you know Milkweed is an independent publisher incorporated as a nonprofit organization? While sales of our books support our mission, it is contributions from our community that enable us to focus on acquiring projects based on artistic merit rather than commercial sales projections, to work with authors to develop these projects to their full potential, and to connect them with readers in increasingly innovative ways. Publishing transformative literature often entails years of investment, and we need your support to make it possible.⁠
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Multiverse is a literary series devoted to different ways of languaging, curated by neurodivergent poet Chris Martin, and featuring a chorus of editorial voices. Multiverse primarily emerges from the practices and creativity of neurodivergent, autistic, neuroqueer, mad, nonspeaking, and disabled cultures. Learn more about our Multiverse series here: https://milkweed.org/multiverse.

11/21/2024

Today is Give to the Max Day here in Minnesota where Milkweed Editions is based. On this day of philanthropic giving and every day, we appreciate the contributions you all have made to sustain our vibrant, active, expansive creative culture in this local arts community and beyond.⁠
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Consider joining our membership program as a sustainer for as little as $5/month to support the publication of changing literature like the books pictured here—our 2024 publications. ⁠Learn more and join here: https://milkweed.org/milkweed-membership.
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We would not be able to publish these books without your continued support as readers, members, librarians, educators, booksellers (we love you, booksellers!), donors, authors, conversation partners, book club hosts, board members, community partners, fans, followers, email subscribers, and sharers of the work we do. Thank you.

11/19/2024

🔆 Happy publication day to TIME REMAINING: BODY ODES, PRAISE SONGS, ODDITIES, AMAZEMENTS by James P. Lenfestey! milkweed.org/book/time-remaining

Join us on Thurs. Nov. 21 for the launch event in Minneapolis, co-presented by The Loft Literary Center and Literary Witness. This event is free and open to the public, please RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/time-remaining-by-james-p-lenfestey-tickets-1028755795277?aff=oddtdtcreator.

An exuberant collection celebrating the body and the soul of language, wringing delights and amazements out of the latter years of life.

In his seventh decade and seventh full length collection, poet James P. Lenfestey dazzles with a suite of odes to parts of the body—heart, belly, ankle, teeth, ears, and more—and astonishment at the powers of language: “the sound of ‘n,’” our ancient alphabet, “the terror of publishing.” Known for his exuberant Chinese-style lyrics, now inspired by Neruda’s cascading Elemental Odes, Lenfestey praises Hewlett and Packard, Bruce Springsteen, “the language of crow,” fruit flies, and cabbages while recalling the “forgiveness of the Catbird” and random acts of kindness, all with his superb ear for sound, rhythm, and leaping figurative language.

Rhythmic, jovial, and eminently approachable, this collection embraces the Cetacean mind and the fearless left hand. Here, Lenfestey writes love songs to the world “as it really is: bizarro, curious, inelegant, unclean, / unfaithful, filled with delight.”

📒 Pick up a copy from your favorite bookseller today!

11/19/2024

👀 Here's a first look at SMALL WARS MANUAL: POEMS by Chris Santiago, publishing in the spring of 2025! ⁠

From award-winning poet Chris Santiago, a far-reaching collection of erasures and original poems examining the long shadow of American militarism and imperialism.

Stemming in part from a disturbingly mundane military document of the same name, SMALL WARS MANUAL is a how-to for imperialism that critically dismantles itself with each passing line, “a pidgin // containing elements // of animus and // insubordination.” In its wake, the very boundaries of oppression and resistance, art and justice, and power and truth are exploded.

🔗 Learn more and preorder your copy for April here: milkweed.org/book/small-wars-manual.

11/18/2024

Have you read any of these books by Richard Wagamese?

Richard Wagamese (1955-2017) was one of Canada’s foremost writers, and one of the leading indigenous writers in North America. He was the author of several acclaimed memoirs and more than a dozen novels. (milkweed.org/author/richard-wagamese)

Consider adding these to your TBR:

WALKING THE OJIBWE PATH
(milkweed.org/book/walking-the-ojibwe-path)
Ojibwe tradition calls for fathers to walk their children through the world, sharing the ancient understanding “that we are all, animate and inanimate alike, living on the one pure breath with which the Creator gave life to the Universe.” In this series of letters to his estranged six-year-old son, Wagamese fulfills this duty describing his own path through life braided with the teachings of his people.

INDIAN HORSE
(milkweed.org/book/indian-horse)
Alone in the world and placed in a horrific boarding school, Saul Indian Horse is surrounded by violence and cruelty, but finds a tentative salvation in hockey. Spare yet undeniably rich, this novel is at once a heartbreaking account of a dark chapter in our history and a moving coming-of-age story.

MEDICINE WALK
(milkweed.org/book/medicine-walk)
When sixteen-year-old Franklin Starlight is summoned by his ailing father, Eldon, Franklin’s sense of duty clashes with the resentment he feels for his father’s many years of neglect and drinking. But when the two men set out together on one last journey, Eldon offers his son an emotional inheritance Franklin never could have imagined.

DREAM WHEELS
(milkweed.org/book/dream-wheels)
After suffering a devastating accident, rodeo cowboy Joe Willie Wolfchild retires to his family’s ranch to mend. There he meets Aiden, a troubled city teenager, and Claire, his mother—and three damaged people slowly begin to heal together. In taut prose, Wagamese explores how independence, self-determination, and a return to cultural tradition can heal body, mind, and community.

as an opportunity to further honor the history, culture, and contemporary creative contributions of all Indigenous people. Milkweed Editions is an independent publisher of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. We believe that literature has the potential to change the way we see the world. We champion life-changing literature by Indigenous authors like Richard Wagamese year-round.

11/17/2024

Gearing up for the National Book Awards on 11/20? Get to know the finalists via Literary Hub, including Fady Joudah, author of [. . .] :https://lithub.com/meet-the-2024-national-book-award-finalists/.

Literary Hub: Who do you most wish would read your book?
Fady Joudah: Anyone forty years after I die.

LH: How do you tackle writer’s block?
FJ: I do not tackle ghosts.

LH: Who is the person, or what is the place or practice that had the most significant impact on your writing education?
FJ: Definitely it’s my upbringing in Arabic.

LH: Which book(s) do you reread?
FJ: Those I peppered with marginalia, highlighted excerpts, underlined passages.

Learn more about National Book Award Poetry finalist [. . .] by Fady Joudah here: https://milkweed.org/product/2922.

Tune into the National Book Award ceremony on Nov. 20 here: https://www.nationalbook.org/awards2024/ -to-watch.

The winners of the 75th National Book Awards—given every year in Young People’s Literature, Translation, Poetry, Nonfiction, and Fiction—will be announced next week in a ceremony hosted by Kate McK…

11/16/2024

Milkweed members support ground-breaking literature, increase access to global perspectives, champion essential voices, expand the possibilities of poetry, and amplify vital ideas. ⁠
⁠
Receive a signature “Because reading is life-changing” tote when you join our community of sustaining supporters as a member before November 30, 2024! ⁠
⁠
Learn more about membership levels and benefits, and sign up here: https://milkweed.org/milkweed-membership.
⁠
Did you know Milkweed is an independent publisher incorporated as a nonprofit organization? While sales of our books support our mission, it is contributions from our community that enable us to focus on acquiring projects based on artistic merit rather than commercial sales projections, to work with authors to develop these projects to their full potential, and to connect them with readers in increasingly innovative ways. Publishing transformative literature often entails years of investment, and we need your support to make it possible.

11/15/2024

👀 Here's a first look a A HOLE IN THE STORY: A NOVEL by Ken Kalfus, publishing in April, 2025!⁠ milkweed.org/book/a-hole-in-the-story
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🕳️ An irreverent, darkly comic novel dissecting the misjudgments, hypocrisies, and occasional good motives that drive our politics and our journalism, as well as our most intimate personal relations.
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📱 At his desk one day, prominent Washington commentator Adam Zweig receives a text message. “Btw want to give you a heads-up abt some breaking news,” it reads. “Call soonest.” These are the early rumblings of an eventual media storm generated by small-town reporter Valerie Iovine, who has gone public with her account of sexual harassment at the hands of esteemed editor and liberal icon Max Lieberthol. Twenty years have passed since the incident, and though Adam wasn’t directly involved, he quickly finds himself implicated and entangled, his career under imminent threat.
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🔗 Learn more and preorder your copy here: milkweed.org/book/a-hole-in-the-story.

11/15/2024

BRAIDING SWEETGRASS remains the most shared, gifted, sold, and beloved titles in our collection of 596 life-changing books published by Milkweed Editions. In the world for over a decade, on the New York Times bestseller list for 238 weeks, translated into over 20 languages, and now with a young adult edition, the impact of Robin Wall Kimmerer's Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, storytelling, and invitation to view the world with gratitude and reciprocity cannot be overstated. ⁠
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If you have not yet, pick up your copy today from your local library or bookstore, and learn more here: https://milkweed.org/braiding-sweetgrass. ⁠
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as an opportunity to further honor the history, culture, and contemporary creative contributions of all Indigenous people. Milkweed Editions is an independent publisher of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. We believe that literature has the potential to change the way we see the world. We champion life-changing literature by Indigenous authors like Robin Wall Kimmerer year-round.