Adult Nonfiction

By: Matilda Bickers (Editor), peech breshears (Editor), Janice Luna (Editor), Molly Smith (Foreword), 2023, Paperback

Fiercely intelligent, fantastically transgressive, Working It is an intimate portrait of the lives of sex workers. A polyphonic story of triumph, survival, and solidarity this collection showcases the vastly different experiences and interests of those who have traded sex; among them a brothel worker in Australia, First Nation survivors of the Canadian child welfare system, and an afro-latina single parent raising a radicalized child. Packed with first-person essays, interviews, poetry, drawings, mixed-media collage, and photographs Working It honors the complexity of lived experience. Sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes hardboiled, these dazzling pieces will go straight to the heart.

By: Z. Zane McNeill (Editor), 2022, Paperback

Y'all Means All is a celebration of the weird and wonderful aspects of a troubled region in all of their manifest glory! This collection is a thought-provoking hoot and a holler of "we’re queer and we’re here to stay, cause we’re every bit a piece of the landscape as the rocks and the trees" echoing through the hills of Appalachia and into the boardrooms of every media outlet and opportunistic author seeking to define Appalachia from the outside for their own political agendas. Multidisciplinary and multi-genre, Y’all necessarily incorporates elements of critical theory, such as critical race theory and queer theory, while dealing with a multitude of methodologies, from quantitative analysis, to oral history and autoethnography.

This collection eschews the contemporary trend of "reactive" or "responsive" writing in the genre of Appalachian studies, and alternatively, provides examples of how modern Appalachians are defining themselves on their own terms. As such, it also serves as a toolkit for other Appalachian readers to follow suit, and similarly challenge the labels, stereotypes and definitions often thrust upon them. While providing blunt commentary on the region's past and present, the book’s soul is sustained by the resilience, ingenuity, and spirit exhibited by the authors; values which have historically characterized the Appalachian region and are continuing to define its culture to the present.

This book demonstrates above all else that Appalachia and its people are filled with a vitality and passion for their region which will slowly but surely effect long-lasting and positive changes in the region. If historically Appalachia has been treated as a "mirror" of the country, this book breaks that trend by allowing modern Appalachians to examine their own reflections and to share their insights in an honest, unfiltered manner with the world.

By: Liz Theoharis (Author), Noam Sandweiss-Back (Author), 2025, Hardcover

One of the nation’s leading anti-poverty organizers and moral voices shares the largely untold story of the movement to end poverty, open to all, and led by the poor themselves

As one of the nation’s leading anti-poverty organizers and moral voices, Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis explores the largely untold history of poor people’s movements in the United States and traces her own journey through some of the most significant anti-poverty struggles of the past thirty years.

In this book, Theoharis introduces us to the people leading the movement to end poverty, including:

• multiracial groups of homeless people rising up from the streets and seizing empty, federally-owned homes;
• mothers on welfare shutting down entire city blocks and going toe-to-toe with some of the most powerful people in the country;
• farmworkers busting modern-day slave rings and winning living wages from multinational fast-food companies; and
• coal miners, veterans, unemployed workers, students, artists, and more joining together in unusual and creative alliances to fight, sing, and pray their way toward freedom.

Drawing from personal experience, history, religion, political strategy, and more, Theoharis argues that American poverty will not end because of the goodwill of the powerful or through the charitable actions of well-meaning people alone. It will happen through a mass movement to end poverty, open to all, and led by the poor.

Theoharis passionately reminds us that poor people are not condemned to be subjects of history, but have always been agents of transformative change, and can be once again. Indeed, to reorient our society around the needs of everyone and reinvigorate the promise of democracy, the poor can and must become the architects of a new America.

In You'll Be a Wonderful Parent, Jasper Peach provides a practical and emotional guide for LGBTIGA+ families around the arrival of a new baby. Becoming a parent is already a challenging time, even more so if you don't see yourself reflected in mainstream parenting resources, culture or even language. But alphabet soup families are also in the unique position of being able to intentionally build their own family structure and create an environment of huge love and belonging for their children. This little book holds the reader's hand through the journeys of both birth and non-birth parents, with advice on everything from dealing with other's definitions of your family, to finding the right medical care and communities, and of course making sure that you take a lot of naps before the baby is born.

Writer, actor, and director Desiree Akhavan shares the stories she was told to shut up about—hilarious, horny, heartbreaking tales of a life in pursuit of art, love, and a better haircut.

“Hilariously raw, relatable, and—dare I even say—sexy.”—Jessi Klein

When it comes to shame, Desiree Akhavan knows what she’s talking about—whether it’s winning the title of the Ugliest Girl at her high school, acquiescing to the nose job she was lovingly forced into by her Iranian parents, or losing her virginity to a cokehead she met in a support group for cutters. In You’re Embarrassing Yourself, Akhavan goes to the rawest places—the lifelong struggle to be at peace in one’s body, the search for home as the child of immigrants, the anxious underbelly of artistic ambition—in pursuit of wisdom, catharsis, and lolz.

Equal parts funny and heartfelt, these seventeen essays chart an artist’s journey from outcast to overnight indie darling, to (somewhat) self-aware adult woman. The result is a collection that captures the pathetic lows and euphoric highs of our youth—and how to survive them.

Social media sensation Darby Hudson offers this collection of encouraging and humorous reflections to encourage others to continue expressing themselves, no matter what. 

You're Going to Be OK is a book on art, jobs, magic and muddling through. These hand-typed fragments were gathered by the train tracks at night over ten years, after author Darby Hudson worked meaningless jobs, trying to make sense of a strange world that insisted it was "perfectly normal." The observations in You're Going to Be OK are little fragments of collected wisdom that sit somewhere between poetry, comedy and aphorism. With sixty new poems, this updated edition includes even more of Hudson's reflections to enjoy.

A compassionate and comprehensive guide to parenting neurodivergent children.

Your Kid Belongs Here is a heartfelt, practical guide to parenting children in a world not designed for them―or their parents. Combining personal stories, research, and helpful strategies, Katie Rose Guest Pryal shares her journey as a neurodivergent mother raising neurodivergent children and offers a powerful narrative of advocacy, empathy, and resilience.

This book addresses the unique challenges faced by neurodiverse families while celebrating the strengths of neurodivergent children and parents alike. With a focus on building trust, fostering self-advocacy, and embracing neurodiversity, this guide:
• Provides advice on parenting children with developmental neurodivergences such as ADHD and autism; psychiatric disabilities such as anxiety and depression; and acquired neurodivergences such as post-concussion syndrome.
• Outlines strategies for supporting emotional regulation and managing children's meltdowns, anxiety, and other emotional challenges.
• Guides parents on navigating schools and advocating for their child's rights in educational settings, including securing accommodations like IEPs and 504 plans.
• Discusses the psychological impact of masking and how to create spaces where children can express their true selves.
• Offers balanced insights into medication use, addressing societal shame, and emphasizing informed, personalized choices.
• Encourages parents to support and engage with their children's special interests and passions as a pathway to growth and confidence.
• Highlights the importance of parents' self-care and well-being, with practical tips for managing stress and maintaining resilience.

An empowering, empathetic resource for parents, educators, and advocates, this guide invites readers to reimagine how inclusive and supportive parenting can contribute to a more compassionate world.

Zami: A Carriacou name for women who work together as friends and lovers

“Zami is a fast-moving chronicle. From the author’s vivid childhood memories in Harlem to her coming of age in the late 1950s, the nature of Audre Lorde’s work is cyclical. It especially relates the linkage of women who have shaped her . . . Lorde brings into play her craft of lush description and characterization. It keeps unfolding page after page.”—Off Our Backs

“Among the elements that make the book so good are its personal honesty and lack of pretentiousness, characteristics that shine through the writing bespeaking the evolution of a strong and remarkable character.”—The New York Times