FOUNDED IN 2012, in just an incredibly short period of time, 2Leaf Press is injecting new blood into the contemporary literary scene with emerging and established authors. We’re also quickly building a reputation of publishing literary fiction and cultural non-fiction that’s completely distinct from works published by most large commercial presses. This is why 2Leaf Press is always on the lookout for strikingly unconventional manuscripts and book proposals. A well written novella, an off-beat memoir, a cool book of photography, an epic poem, or a book of photography and crazy illustrations is some of the books we have published.
When we accidentally stumbled upon the idea of creating a bilingual edition with our very first book, Hey Yo! Yo Soy! 40 Years of Nuyorican Street Poetry, The Collected Works of Jesús Papoleto Meléndez, who knew then that there would be several translations to follow. Or that our first book would be adapted into an off-Broadway play?
Then there’s 2Leaf Press’ first love: Poetry. Good poetry. Interesting poetry. Exciting poetry. Shocking poetry. Thoughtful poetry. We’re publishing across a broad range of categories—always with the goal of delivering innovative books to discerning readers.
We’re interested in publishing literary works, specifically poetry, memoir, narratives, and non-fiction; anthologies and collections of essays and short stories; novels and historical works as they pertain to literature. Our focus is building our series, in particular 2LP EXPLORATIONS IN DIVERSITY, and CURRENT AFFAIRS, CULTURE & POLITICS, because our current living conditions require us to examine race, classism, and sociopolitical issues they develop.
We are a small volunteer staff of seven people and with the support of an incredible nonprofit organization, The Intercultural Alliance of Artists and Scholars, Inc. (IAAS) and its board members have helped developed the press to give it its footing. What we lack in size, we make up for in integrity, energy and commitment.
The next step is to develop the press into a fully functional, job paying entity. We want to expand our distribution, push sales with vigorous promotion and publicity, and experiment with new digital technology. Our first step towards this goal was to focus on our series; and updating our website and expanding our business to earn more income for the press and its authors, but also pass on a savings to our readers.
We believe that there are a lot of exciting writers out there who are writing books that are sometimes eccentric or difficult but are extremely rewarding. We also pride ourselves in working closely with both emerging and established writers, and building ongoing partnerships so writers can call 2Leaf Press “home.”
So as major publishers continue to merge and consolidate, and become more focused on finding the next blockbuster best-seller, 2Leaf Press continues pursuing its mission to discover new writers and to shepherd their work into the hands of thoughtful readers worldwide. 2Leaf Press will continue to take chances, and make unpopular decisions simply because it is the right thing to do. The bottom line: What we lack in size, we make up for in integrity, energy and commitment.
We are 2Leaf Press: A small press with big ideas!
