Pen and Anvil Press - Homepage Pen and Anvil
Home Catalogue About the Press
Submit Contact Us The Ampersand blog
a BONFIRE PRESS project
Abolitionist Voices

Imprint Manager:
Zachary Bos
(email)

Connect with us:
Twitter

“till All are truly free” // imprint motto; from “Fourth of July” by W. L. Garrison

Abolitionist Voices

In the Abolitionist Voices imprint, Pen & Anvil editors work with community members to publish stories of local, national or global abolitionism, both historical and contemporary. Though the term "abolition" in the United States is often used narrowly to refer exclusively to the effort to liberate African Americans from the institution of slavery, the word's meaning has since grown to encompass a broad range of activism and intersectionality. Accordingly, our editorial scope with this imprint is broadly construed, and we intend to uplift narratives, perspectives and heritage concerned in diverse ways with diversity, equity, and justice.

We publish broadsides & posters; pamphlets & tracts; book-length reprints; digital projects; anthologies; contemporary texts; maps; visual books; and typographic art. Items in the series, of whatsoever format, are numbered sequentially.

Register for our Fall 2022 workshops

Thanks to funding support from the Fitchburg Cultural Council and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the first items in the Abolitionist Voices publication series will be created by community members, through a community publishing workshop.

In these hands-on workshops, participants will select and edit public domain content or original contemporary words and images for publication in the Abolitionist Voices series. At the end of the four workshops, participants will have used research and writing skills, editorial practices of vetting and curation, and digital and print publishing methods to produce a new broadside poster, pamphlet, or digital booklet. The goal of the workshop is to gain confidence and skills in the area of communication through publication, while exploring and uplifting the abolitionist heritage and values of Fitchburg. Organized by Bonfire Press, a not-for-profit community and collegiate publishing project at Bonfire Bookshop.

These workshops will be hosted by Zachary Bos, manager of the Abolitionist Voices imprint and coordinator of the BookLab project at Boston University. Guest speakers with experience in local history, design, or publishing may join our meetings.

  • When? All participants will attend up to five Saturday workshops on September 25, October 1, October 8, October 15, and October 22, from 12-2 PM. Outside of those meeting times, participants may meet with each other or with members of the Bonfire Press team as different project components come together.
  • Where? Main Street Studios, 675 Main Street, Fitchburg
  • Who? Open to persons of all skill levels; no experience needed. Participation is open to persons above the age of 14 who are interested in history, social justice, and publishing.
  • How? Seating is limited, and advance registration is required;
    c
    lick here to access the registration form.

Content warning: The topic of abolitionism involves historical and contemporary subject matter that may be distressing. As we select content to publish, we may encounter materials whose tone, vocabulary and imagery are no longer socially acceptable and may be deeply offensive. While the purpose of this workshop is not to specifically engage with sources of this kind, participants are cautioned that they may have reactions which require mindful processing. As a requirement for registration, participants are asked to agree that they will avoid using derogatory or offensive language or attitudes in their speech and writing.

Ordering information

Please visit the website of our partner Bonfire Bookshop to find items on sale from the Abolitionist Voices series. The bookstore is scheduled to open in 2022. To arrange an institutional or bulk order, please email us directly. If you have trouble finding a title you believe should be available, or would like to inquire about a custom production order, contact us.

About our logo

In the mid-1800s, flags of the United States often featured a large center star in the blue canton, sometimes outlined as with a halo, as a way to balance a busy design or celebrate the newest state to join the Union. Abolitionists of that era who used a seven-stripe version of the US flag—seven stripes rather than thirteen, to exclude the slave-holding states—began to use the center star as a symbol of Polaris, the North Star, and of freedom. In our logo, that center guide-star is surrounded by four other smaller stars, representing the Big Dipper and the key to finding the North Star. That there are four outer stars instead of five reminds us that the work of empancipation is never finished. In place of that fifth star is an A; the work of abolition which carries on as we work toward freedom for all.

“It is not light that we need, but fire... not the gentle shower, but thunder.” — Frederick Douglass