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Embark on a transformative journey into the world of self-publishing with "Writing Our Truths," a comprehensive guide crafted specifically for BIPOC writers ready to share their unique narratives with the world.

Tayler Simon, a self-publishing book coach that specializes in working with BIPOC, queer, trans, and disabled writers, guides you through the process of harnessing your unique voice in order to spark change and connection in a wounded world.

In a literary and academic landscape that often echoes uniformity and gatekeeps access, this book serves as a beacon, inviting BIPOC writers to reclaim their voices, stories, and cultural truths. From the inception of an idea to the triumphant moment of publication, this guide navigates the intricate path of self-publishing to empower BIPOC writers to become architects of their own literary destinies.

"Writing Our Truths" is not just a guide; it's a call to action for BIPOC writers to claim their space in the publishing world. Whether you're a seasoned writer or just beginning your author voyage, this book is your compass, guiding you toward the fulfillment of your writing dreams. It's time to pen your narrative, embrace your truth, and embark on the self-publishing journey that awaits. Let "Writing Our Truths" be your companion in this empowering exploration of cultural expression and literary self-determination.

2023 Feathered Quill Book Awards Gold Medal Winner
2022 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY) Gold Medal Winner
2022 Over the Rainbow Short List
2021 Goodreads Choice Awards - Best Poetry Book Finalist
2021 Bookshop's Indie Press Highlights

You Better Be Lightning by Andrea Gibson is a queer, political, and feminist collection guided by self-reflection.

The poems range from close examination of the deeply personal to the vastness of the world, exploring the expansiveness of the human experience from love to illness, from space to climate change, and so much more in between.

One of the most celebrated poets and performers of the last two decades, Andrea Gibson's trademark honesty and vulnerability are on full display in You Better Be Lightning, welcoming and inviting readers to be just as they are.

By: Tea Franco (Author), 2024, Paperback

Frida Kahlo resurrects as a social media influencer, a girl feeds all of her food to a bloom of angry ladybugs, a skunk funeral makes a young woman contemplate her life and more in Téa Franco's You Could Be That Kind of Girl. Through a series of coming-of-age stories, this collection explores family dynamics, race, and sexuality, creating an intersectional portrait of the female experience navigating the patriarchal expectations they face from before they are born to long after they die. The characters that populate Franco's collection have unique perspectives, often centering pop culture, and their stories show their strengths and their flaws as they attempt, and often fail, to decode the ever-changing rules they've been assigned.

Téa Franco is a writer based in Indianapolis. She has fiction, poetry, and non-fiction published in Barrelhouse Magazine, Barren Magazine, Foglifter Press, and others. She co-edited Kiss Your Darlings: A Taylor Swift Anthology and teaches creative writing workshops. She is currently working on her first novel and received a travel grant from the Central Indiana Community Foundation to conduct research in Puerto Rico, where her family is from.

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.