Literary arts is just one medium of storytelling, which at the end of the day, is what’s most important to us here at Blue Cactus Press. Along with creating books, we aim to capture storytelling across several different media, including our online Lit Journal, The Prickly Pear Podcast, and recorded events and performances. Check out our offerings – all of which are rooted in literary works – expressed in multimedia, below.
Moss Covered Claws Reading
On November 19th, we hosted an informal reading to celebrate the Moss Covered Claws Kickstarter campaign. Along with author Jonah Barrett, we were joined by Daniel Wolfert, Cecilia Frank, Logan Fenner, […]
Episode 14: Shin Yu Pai
We lucked out earlier this fall when we snagged a podcast interview with the multi-talented Seattle artist Shin Yu Pai! We hopped onto Zoom late one evening in September to […]
BCP Fall Reading
For those who couldn’t make it to our Fall Reading, never fear: we recorded the full event! You can now enjoy it at your convenience! Our reading lineup was made […]
Episode 13: Poetry as Activism
Sure, the media hype surrounding national and local protests for social justice has died down, but the issues are still present, the protests continue, and our conversations about our roles […]
Watch the Book Launch: Terrain by Gina Hietpas
Did you miss the official launch of Gina Hietpas’ debut poetry book, Terrain,on September 10th? Don’t worry if you did, we recorded the event so those who didn’t get a […]
Episode 12: Poetry as a Tool for Self-Healing
Everything is a mess nowadays (we’re looking at you, COVID-19, rampant and continued racism against BIPOC , the unsettling state of local and national economy, zealous over-policing, etc.) and it […]
It’s Your Country, Too
With the launch of The Bedouin by Yousef Allouzi and There Are No False Alarms by Samuel Snoek-Brown right around the corner, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to give readers a deeper understanding of the how’s and why’s behind the paired chapbooks and their authors. So, we asked Yousef and Sam to chat with us about their writing, the publishing process, and their relationship as writers and co-conspirators. Enjoy, friends!
Episode 11: Tashawn Deville
Hello there. Its been a hell of a year so far, friends, but we’re doing our best to keep moving forward and to do so as community members with a […]
Learning From My Garden in Four Colors
Learning From My Garden in Four Colors An essay by Tamiko Nimura Green Mid-March 2020, Washington state. Too anxious to even buy seeds. Too soon to plant seeds outside. I […]
Allyship in This Time of Civil Unrest
A note from the publisher, Christina Butcher Now is the time to stand up and support Black community members across the country in the fight against police brutality, systemic injustice […]
Episode 10: DJ Smokey Wonder
Yeah. A whole podcast episode of nothin’ but good-good music by one of our favorite, Tacoma-based musicians, DJ Smokey Wonder. Why? Because life is hard and sometimes it’s refreshing – […]
Pre-orders & Poems
Guess what, friends?! We’re officially halfway to meeting our pre-order goal for Gina Hietpas’ forthcoming, debut poetry book, Terrain! Since we launched the pre-order campaign back in January, we’ve raised […]
Episode 9: Lucien Vedego & The Great Avocado
We’re having trouble keeping up with all the cool arts events happening around town for Tacoma Arts Month, so naturally, we retreated to the great garage to catch our breath […]
Cover Reveal: The Art of Naming My Pain
We can’t keep Kellie Richardson’s book cover under wraps any longer! It’s too good to keep to ourselves, and the story behind it – and behind Kellie’s creative work in collage – is worth sharing. So, let us introduce you to The Art of Naming My Pain, a collection of prose, poetry and collage by Kellie Richardson.
Episode 8: Therapy Isn’t a Death Sentence with Robert Lashley
It’s been a contemplative spring, friends, one as heavy with emotional processing as the branches of a flowering peony bush (you know, the ones near Chinese Reconciliation Park in Tacoma, […]
Episode 7: Abby E. Murray’s Snack Pack PhD Regalia
That’s right, Blue Cactus Press snagged an interview with Abby E. Murray, award-winning author, educator, and the 2019 – 2021 Tacoma poet laureate! Abby joined us earlier this spring for […]
Episode 6: Good-Ass Hot Chicken ft. José Olivarez and Britteney Black Rose Kapri
Earlier this month, Blue Cactus Press sat down with poetry giants José Olivarez and Britteney Black Rose Kapri for a live podcast recording at King’s Books! José and Britteney joined […]
Writing with Gender-Inclusive Language
If we truly care about creating a more equitable society in which a person’s individuality is not reduced to their sex and/or gender, than our language should reflect that. Writing […]
Episode 5: Weird Flex But Okay … with Jonah Barrett
We’re bringing the weird, friends! We’ve been stuck indoors all winter and we’re LOSING OUR MINDS! Luckily, though, we’re losing our minds with filmmaker, writer and multimedia artist Jonah Barrett. […]
Anal Pleasure & Health
Filmmaker, writer and multimedia artist Jonah Barrett recently debuted a personal essay, “Anal Pleasure & Health,” at Creative Colloquy in January 2019. Jonah’s essay is authentic, humorous and heartfelt, and for those […]
Hello, Carlisle!
Goodbye snow, hello spring! Well, almost spring. As we await blue skies and warmer weather, we’re also saying hello to a new addition to the Blue Cactus Press team: Carlisle […]
Episode 4: Experimental Artist & Library Gangster, Nicole McCarthy
Put down the holiday cookies and pick up your headphones, friends, because we snagged an exclusive podcast interview with experimental artist Nicole McCarthy! Nicole is from the pacific northwest. She earned her MFA in Creative […]
Episode 3: Samuel Snoek-Brown, Badass Women & Whiskey
Featuring Tacoma-based author and educator Samuel Snoek-Brown. Sam is the author of the new short story collection There Is No Other Way to Worship Them, the Civil War novel Hagridden and short-fiction […]
Author Q&A with Samuel Snoek-Brown
If you’ve been wondered what was rolling around in author Samuel Snoek-Brown’s head as he wrote his new short story collection, There Is No Other Way to Worship Them, today’s […]
Episode 2: Kellie Richardson on the Mic
Featuring Tacoma Poet Laureate, educator, writer and collage artist Kellie Richardson. Kellie is also the badass creator and blogger of Brown Betty and author of What Us Is. In this episode, Kellie Richardson […]
Episode 1: The Sh*t You Don’t Know About Creative ColloquyÂ
Featuring Creative Colloquy founder, professional booze-slinger and freelance writer Jackie Casella. Listen in as we set the record straight about how Creative Colloquy got its start, dive into who (in the […]
The Prickly Pear Podcast
It’s official! Blue Cactus Press now has a podcast, aptly titled The Prickly Pear Podcast. Each episode will feature interviews with creative people at the crossroads of artistic media. Lucky […]
¡Cover Art Reveal!
Blue Cactus Press is beyond excited to officially reveal the beautiful and haunting cover art for Samuel Snoek-Brown’s forthcoming short-story collection, There Is No Other Way to Worship Them. We’d […]
Local Book Review: Alchemy for Cells & Other Beasts
Earlier this afternoon I had a wonderful conversation about the synthesis of science, art and literature with a quirky entrepreneur (thank you, Spaceworks Tacoma and Creative Colloquy for landing me […]
Local Book Review: Gone to Gold Mountain
If you’re a poet living in the Pacific Northwest, chances are you’ve read Peter Ludwin’s work, or maybe you’ve heard him read in one of the cramped, dusty bookstores of […]
Local Book Review: Hagridden by Samuel Snoek-Brown
How often do you pick up a book from one of your favorite authors and hope and wish and pray it’s as good as the last? I do it every […]
Book Review: The Breakbeat Poets
Every now and then I read a book of poetry that manages to jump out of the pages at me, pulling me into the heart of each poem and demanding […]
Online Lit Journal
Written essays, interviews, poems and excerpts from PNW authors whose work we’re crushin’ on, as well as those by BCP affiliated writers.
The Prickly Pear Podcast
Interviews with literary artists and creatives from the Pacific Northwest, hosted by BCP publisher and poet Christina Butcher, and sponsored by Libro.fm.
Video-Recorded Events
Video recordings of events, including BCP book launches and curated readings by PNW authors. We’ve only just begun recording events, but will continue to do so moving forward.
