Microcosm Publishing Settles Dispute with Pioneers Press; Radical Independent Publishers Reconcile
Portland, Oregon (PRWEB) October 28, 2016 -- After a four-year-long dispute stemming from what began as an amicable division in 2012, the principals of Microcosm Publishing in Portland, Oregon and Pioneers Press in Lansing, Kansas have achieved a resolution and released a joint statement:
“Microcosm Publishing and Pioneers Press are pleased to announce that we have reached a settlement regarding our past disagreements and the division of debt between our companies. No money will change hands, and neither company will pursue further legal action against one another with respect to past events. We wish to take back all of the hurtful, disparaging, and damaging things that were said by both sides. Microcosm Publishing and Pioneers Press both strongly encourage you to support each other in every way possible in the interest of independent publishing.”
Both Microcosm and Pioneers are small, independent, radical publishing companies that publish and distribute books and zines that promote self-empowerment, do-it-yourself skills, mental health and suicide prevention, radical politics, feminism, social justice, healing from trauma and abuse, healthy relationships, and building strong communities through grassroots efforts. Microcosm was founded in 1996 and Pioneers launched in 2012 when the two companies separated.
Joe Biel, founder and co-owner of Microcosm, chronicled the story of how the two companies’ struggles to stay afloat in a disastrous economy and uncertain publishing climate led to personal and professional rifts in his March, 2016 book Good Trouble: Building a Successful Life and Business with Asperger’s. Of the resolution, Biel said, “It’s hard enough to be publishers this small. Nobody benefits from squabbling and the world needs so much of what we both have to offer. We are stronger together, side-by-side on the same shelves.”
Related legal records:
Oregon: Multnomah County Circuit Court, Case No. 1312-16675
Kansas: District Court of Leavenworth County Case No. 2014CV56
Elly Blue, Microcosm Publishing, http://microcosmpublishing.com, +1 503-799-2698, [email protected]
Share this article