It has been more than a year since Dead Feminists: Historic Heroines in Living Color was published. We are still surprised and delighted when new readers find the book and get inspired, especially when the world right now feels incredibly challenging. And while we continue to make new broadsides, we assume the book will quietly fade away as new feminist voices — thankfully — jump in to say, even shout, our shared and urgent message of action. What we are reminded of, though, is we all need to get real loud together, a chorus of #metoo that cannot be ignored.
Thanks to independent bookstores, our book has connected with more readers than we thought possible. Booksellers—like sweet pea at King’s Books–shared the book with local customers, and they sent copies to friends around the country, adding to the chorus. Our regional publisher, Sasquatch Books, affectionately calls Dead Feminists “the little book that could” as it steadily chugs along.
It is with great delight (and major surprise) that we learned that Dead Feminists made the 2018 Pacific Northwest Book Awards Shortlist. The awards, produced by the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association, recognize “excellence in writing, publishing, and illustration in the PNBA region.” They’re also a reminder of the importance of regional publishers, in this world of mega-retailers and corporate publishing mergers. To be included on this list with Ursula K. Le Guin, Sherman Alexie and other amazing regional authors is a huge honor—unexpected by two artists, newish to the region, just adding to the chorus.
Many thanks to the PNBA, Sasquatch Books, indie bookstores, and to our readers.