This fall marks the twentieth year since we launched our first book, the Beginner’s Guide to Community-Based Arts. Author copies of that book landed in late August on Mat Schwarzman’s New Orleans doorstep hours before Hurricane Katrina made landfall. A neighbor insisted that Mat take his car to escape, and only days later, from San Francisco where coauthor/cartoonist Keith Knight lived at the time, Mat and Keith took their new book on an ad hoc road tour across the country to Detroit, stopping to talk with small gatherings about how artists can work together with community to creatively face shared problems. Two decades later, Keith, Mat, and New Village Press are still motivated by our shared humanity and how to respond ethically to difficulty. | | |
The interns at New Village Press contribute immeasurably, and I thank Selma White-Pascual for producing this 20th anniversary clip for us to honor the writing and art of our remarkable authors. My voice in it is from Bill Cleveland's Art is Change podcast #115.
—Lynne Elizabeth
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A Timely Idea
A friend who advises nonprofits asked why we didn’t ask for donations in our monthly newsletter. Having recently been reeling from the loss of NEA funding—not to mention the horrifying loss of the entire NEA—we had to agree that asking friends of New Village for help is a timely idea. So here's the pitch! If you have been moved or inspired by authors we’ve published and would like to directly support the work of visionary people in a time that desperately needs their thinking, please consider contributing for our 20th anniversary.
| | Original Paperback, 376 Pages, index 5.50 x 8.50 in, 13 b/w photos | | |
More Letters from the Edge
Outrider Conversations
Margaret Randall
September 9, 2025
A collection of letters exchanged between the author and four “outriders”—artists, writers, and activists who risk everything to confront censorship, injustice, and the constraints of convention
Margaret Randall's correspondents in this volume: Arturo Arango, Kathy Boudin, Jane Norling, and Robert Schweitzer.
“These intimate testimonies of lives lived offer hope in the form of political activism alongside deep personal and spiritual introspection. The story of these extraordinary lives rooted in social justice are banners for our century, beacons of light in a world seemingly dark without moral compass. I left the book with my heart afire.”
—Denise Chavez, author of Street of Too Many Stories
| | MARGARET RANDALL IN THE MEDIA | | |
Margaret Randall interviewed by
Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies
Elise Homan and Randall discuss her newest book More Letters from the Edge, providing further insight into the concept of an “outrider,” exploring different aspects of the women’s liberation movement, and diving into what Randall learned throughout her time in Latin America.
Read the entire interview HERE.
New Pages reviews Margaret Randall's
More Letters from the Edge
"More Letters models what it means to live an engaged life and maintain a steadfast commitment to peace and progressive social justice while simultaneously pursuing personal fulfillment. It’s an inspiring, revelatory book." —Eleanor J. Bader
Read the full review HERE.
Randall's letters excerpted in Literal Magazine
Two excerpts of correspondence from Margaret Randall's More Letters from The Edge are featured in Literal Magazine, a publication highlighting Latin American voices in art and literature.
Read the excerpts HERE.
| | UPCOMING MARGARET RANDALL EVENTS | | |
Margaret Randall talking with Susan Sherman + 75th anniversary of Ginsberg's reading of Howl!
Tuesday, October 7th, 6:00pm ET
Bowery Poetry Club, Manhattan
Come join us for a sure-to-be-wild evening at the Bowery Poetry Club with founder Bob Holman hosting Margaret Randall, Susan Sherman, and more. In addition to a talk and reading for her newest Outrider books, Margaret will pay tribute to the 75th anniversary of Alan Ginsberg reading Howl! for the first time. Recreating the five poets who read that night will include Margaret playing Allen Ginsberg and Lynne Elizabeth playing surrealist poet Phillip Lamantia!
Get Tickets HERE.
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A Conversation with Margaret Randall
Wednesday, October 8, 2025, 6:30pm ET
The Martin E. Segal Theatre at the Graduate Center, CUNY
Join legendary poet, activist, oral historian, and translator Margaret Randall for a reading and conversation based on her newest books Letters from the Edge and More Letters from the Edge, which chronicle her correspondences with fellow “outrider” artists, writers, and activists who risk everything to confront censorship, injustice, and the constraints of convention. Randall will be joined in conversation with poet, translator, and scholar Judah Rubin. The reading and conversation will be followed by a Q&A and book signing. Books will be available at the event. hosted by the Center for Humanities at CUNY.
More about the event HERE.
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Lily Yeh and “Breaking Down Walls: Art as a Portal for the Incarcerated” at the Smithsonian Archives of American Art
September 5, 2025–January 18, 2026
Smithsonian: Archives of American Art, New York, NY
An exhibition at The Smithsonian Archives of American Art highlights artist and New Village Press author Lily Yeh’s work on prison art projects with artist Emanuel Martinez. Featuring letters, photographs, exhibition flyers, and other primary source documents from the artists’ personal collections, the exhibition spotlights Yeh and Martinez’s work for The Emmanuel Project and the Graterford Prison Project.
Learn more about the exhibition HERE.
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Robert Shetterly’s Americans Who Tell The Truth unveils Con Fullam’s Portrait at a Community Concert
September 6, 2025, 4:00pm ET, Portland, Maine
Robert Shetterly's Americans Who Tell the Truth project is collaborating with the band Akiwacu and the Pihcintu Multinational Girl’s Choir to celebrate Con Fullam’s portrait. Fullum is the chorus’s director, and his unveiling will include a live musical performance.
Reserve your free ticket HERE.
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Robert Shetterly’s Americans Who Tell The Truth at Brigham Green
September 12, 2025, 7:00pm ET,
Downtown Belfast, Maine
Original portraits by artist Robert Shetterly will be projected above the Green. Don't miss this chance to listen to Shetterly himself describe his project!
More event information HERE.
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Judy Karofsky at Magers & Quinn Booksellers
Monday, September 8, 2025, 7pm CT
Magers & Quinn Booksellers, Minneapolis, MN
Join author Judy Karofsky for a discussion of DisElderly Conduct: The Flawed Business of ASsisted Living and Hospice. at Magers & Quinn Booksellers.
More about the event HERE. Reserve seats HERE.
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Judy Karofsky at the Sabathani Community Center
Tuesday, September 9, 2025, 1pm CT
Sabathani Community Center, Minneapolis, MN
Come for a discussion of DisElderly Conduct and eldercare in crisis with Judy Karofsky.
More about the event HERE. Reserve seats HERE.
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Local Author Panel: What is a Good Death?
Monday, September 29, 2025, 6:30–8pm PT
Mill Valley Public Library, CA
Joining a panel at the Mill Valley Public Library, author Mark Dowie will discuss his book Judith Letting Go and participate in a conversation about the themes of death and dying in his written works.
Click HERE to learn more.
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Merideth Taylor on Making a Way Out of No Way at St. Mary’s College
Thursday, October 2, 2025, 4:30-6:30pm ET
St. Mary's City, MD
Author, photographer, and SMCM emerita professor Merideth Taylor will talk about her book Making a Way Out of No Way: Lives of Labor, Love and Resistance in the Gallery at St. Mary's College. She will meet with Jeffrey Coleman's African American Expression class, as well.
Event information HERE.
Merideth Taylor at the Lexington Park Library
Saturday, October 18, 10:00-11:30am ET
Lexington Park, MD
Professor Taylor is a founding member of the African and African Diaspora (AADS) and Women Studies (WGSX) programs at the College. She served two terms as chair of the Department of Theater, Film, and Media Studies; taught movement and dance classes; directed and choreographed mainstage productions; and wrote and developed original productions with SMCM students. In 2015, she was commissioned to produce Crossroads: On Common Ground as part of the 175th Anniversary of the College.
She will be commenting on the process and value of oral history collection at the Lexington Park Library's upcoming event, "Preserving Our Past: A 75th Anniversary Oral History & Memorabilia Collection Event."
Learn more about the event HERE.
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In Conversation: Muriel Fox with Debbie Millman
Saturday, October 4, 6:30-8pm ET
Nyack Center, Nyack, NY
Muriel Fox, National Organization for Women co-founder and author of The Women's Revolution: How We Changed Your Life is joining designer, writer, and artist Debbie Millman for a community-centered discussion focusing on feminism and believing women. The discussion will feature a clip from the feature film She's Beautiful When She's Angry.
Purchase your ticket HERE.
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ArtMill Book Launch
Thursday, October 9, 7pm ET
Czech Center
Bohemian National Hall, NYC
Mark your calendars to celebrate the New York launch of ArtMill—artist Barbara Benish's story of the formation of a unique ecologically regenerative arts residency center in rural Czechia. Her memoir takes us from post-totalitarian Czechoslovakia through the collaborative creation of an arts and sustainability hub that is still thriving today.
More about the event HERE. Free tickets HERE.
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Barbara Benish reading and signing at Taylor & Co. Books
October 10, 2025, 7pm ET
Taylor & Co. Books, Brooklyn, NY
More event information to come!
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Lucy Lippard at the New Mexico Museum of Art Vladem Contemporary
October 10, 2025 – August 9, 2026
New Mexico Museum of Art Vladem Contemporary
“Lucy R. Lippard: Notes from the Radical Whirlwind," a new exhibition highlighting the career of Lippard is set to open in October. Writer, activist, and curator, Lippard has been a revolutionary force in the international art world for over sixty years. Her autobiographical Stuff: Instead of a Memoir was published by New Village.
More about the exhibition HERE.
| | MORE AUTHORS IN THE MEDIA | |
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ArtMill Center in Radio Prague International
In a profile by Isabella Fattore for Radio Prague International, Barbara Benish’s efforts to create ArtMill, a space for artistic cultural exchange in rural Czechia, are recounted in detail with photos. "From an exhibition opposing a totalitarian regime, to a farm combating climate change, to women defying traditional standards, resistance has had many different motives, but, nevertheless, has remained a constant in the lives of those at ArtMill." This regenerative arts center is the subject of Benish’s forthcoming book, ArtMill: A Story of Sustainable Creativity in Bohemia.
Read the full article HERE.
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Judy Karofsky featured in “Why Assisted Living Facilities Are in Crisis” by Sonali Kolhatkar
Karofsky provides valuable insight into the crisis of assisted living, noting that the industry relies heavily on immigrant laborers: “We need to honor them, understand who they are, what they’re willing to do.”
Read the full article HERE.
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Judy Karofksy interviewed on Issues Today with Bob Gourley
Karofsky and Gourley discuss her mother’s inhumane hospice experience, Medicare’s requirements, and various other aspects of the assisted living industry.
Listen to the interview HERE.
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Bill McKibben’s Substack The Crucial Years
For those curious about the country’s current state of electricity pricing, read McKibben’s insightful essay about the politics of people’s electric bills. McKibben was profiled and also wrote an essay on the economics of Climate Change for Robert Shetterly’s book, Portraits of Earth Justice.
Read his Substack article HERE.
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Sonya Pritzker article published in Linguistic Anthropology
Pritzker expands on data drawn from The Living Toward Justice Project in an investigative paper centered around “somatopic” formulations of social justice, and its ability to instigate a wider and more diverse definition of social justice as a whole. Her book Living Toward Justice comes out in November.
Read the full article HERE.
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