After writer Arcadian Barrett and some friends discovered the difficulty of finding a publisher, they decided to create their own publishing company that would specifically advocate for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ writing.
Crow House Press is a Minneapolis based publishing company started in summer 2021. The company promotes marginalized voices wanting representation from a publisher who supports and accepts diverse writing but also focuses on the normalcy of people of color and the LGBTQIA+ community. Barrett says this has been historically difficult for members of diverse communities.
“You have to specifically start looking for people [publishers] who will first and foremost see you as a human being,” said Barrett. “The more marginalized you are, the further down that rabbit hole you have to look. We were hoping to be able to start something where that won’t be a problem and we can cater to those who don’t usually get catered to.”
Barrett identifies as Afro-Indigenous (Jamaican-Taino), Jewish, has he/them pronouns, and identifies as “two-spirit,” a non-binary identity specifically for indigenous people. Barrett has lived in several states and developed connections with other writers either of color or of color and from the LGBTQIA+ community who are now part of the Crow House Press staff.
“We wanted to bring on a team that would not just care casually about getting the job done, but a personal mission to promote equity and equality in these specific areas,” Barrett said.
The publishing company hopes to find an investor who sees the value of their mission and the importance of representing writers who have been underrepresented. Some of the goals include an ongoing podcast and a magazine that showcases writers through storytelling, poetry or other types of media specific to their identity choices.
Crow House Press debuted Barrett’s first fantasy novel, “Sovereign,” released on Nov.19. He held a book launch at Eat My Words Bookstore, 214 13th Avenue NE, on Nov. 12. The launch provided the Northeast community the opportunity to meet Barrett and participate in a talking session about the novel.
The novel is Barrett’s first of a three-part series that defies what he believes is traditionally represented in the fantasy genre. “All the characters are brown,” said Barrett. “I wanted a character [heroine] who was explicitly brown, queer and kind of an asshole. She is definitely a morally gray character. She is not meant to be likable at first.”
Not only does the novel normalize characters of color, but Barrett intends to have a world that normalizes the LGBTQIA+ community. “There are trans and queer characters,” says Barrett. “It’s never about that journey because sometimes when you read books that have queer characters, the story is about them coming out or others reacting to them coming out. I don’t want to read something like that. I want a world where it is already normalized and where someone will use they/them pronouns without questions or jokes. All of the other fantasy elements are what you should be worried about and not what pronouns someone uses.”
Barrett hopes his new novel will help the company gain the attention they need to expand financially. In the meantime, he encourages writers to continue to meet their personal goals and find ways to eliminate the obstacles.
“Write what you want to read and not what you think will sell,” says Barrett. “Even if it doesn’t sell, you’ve created something you are proud of, want to show people, and something you have invested your time and energy into. If there is anything standing in your way and if there are people who won’t give you the time of day, just do it yourself. Start a publishing company.”
Besides launching Crow House Press with his peers, Barrett also founded The Raven Academy of Mystical Arts, a seminary taught by people of color who teach from their perspective. The tuition-free, one-year pagan seminary eventually leads to a certificate in pagan studies where students can be ordained through their temple and be a priest, priestess or a gender-neutral “priestix.” The school was started to provide additional opportunities to people of color as well as those who identify from the LGBTQIA+ community.
For more information on Crow House Press, visit: https://www.crowhousepress.store/. “Sovereign” is now available at Eat My Words bookstore.
Below: Arcadian Barrett, left, started Crow House Press for authors who are people of color or LGBTQIA+. His own fantasy novel, Sovereign. (Provided photos)
