Middle West Press

Middle West Press LLC, a Johnston, Iowa-based independent micro-press specializing in unique genre anthologies and poetry collections, will be a participating vendor in a “Boozy Book Fair” Sat., Sept. 19, 2026 from 12 noon to 5 p.m. at Wake Brewing Company , 2529 5th Ave, Rock Island, IL. In addition to the brewing company, the event is co-hosted and organized by  The Macabre Librarian , a Quad-Cities-based bookseller and curator of “Blind Date with a Book” packages and more! A Facebook event page is here at this link . “We’re thrilled to be included in this seasonally creative and bookish event, given our personal roots in the Quad-Cities,” says Middle West Press LLC editor and publisher Randy “Sherpa” Brown . “We can’t wait to meet with friends and readers, both old and new!” Middle West Press will be debuting the newly launched second volume of "Cryptids, Kaiju & Corn: Poems and Micro-stories about Modern Midwest Monsters," as well as other books and merch. Other part...

Middle West Press LLC, a Johnston, Iowa-based independent micro-press, will debut its latest anthology of corn-fueled horror and humor at the Van Meter Visitor Festival in Van Meter, Iowa Sat., Sept. 26, 2026 from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Established in 2013, the Van Meter Visitor Festival annually celebrates all things cryptids—but most notably the 1903 sighting of strange, bat-winged creatures in the coal-mining and railroad town of Van Meter, which at the time had a population of 400. Witnesses at the time said the beasts also shot beams of light from their foreheads. The second volume of Cryptids, Kaiju & Corn: Poems and Micro-Stories about Modern Midwest Monsters , launches on-line Sept. 8, 2026. The book collects nearly 70 short poems and 400-word narratives of mythic beasts that illuminate, celebrate, or challenge stereotypes of Midwestern identity. The festival will be the first time Middle West Press LLC has participated as a vendor in the Van Meter event. The festival tak...

In an exciting 164-page anthology , more than 60 emerging and established voices of Sci-Fi and Fantasy, horror, and other genres join to deliver fresh visions and explorations regarding the “forgotten” terrain and deep recesses of the American Midwest! “This new volume of monstrous mayhem builds upon the chaos and dark mysteries of the first,’” writes anthology editor Randy Brown. “ King Kong scoops the Loop on an L-Train skateboard! Four kaiju take on the faces of Mount Rushmore! A catfish Siren haunts and hunts the local rivermen! ” The book “Cryptids, Kaiju & Corn: Poems and Micro-Stories about Modern Midwest Monsters, Vol. 2”  collects nearly 70 short poems and 400-word narratives of mythic beasts that illuminate, celebrate, or challenge stereotypes of Midwestern identity. Sections of the new anthology tentatively include: Fiends & Neighbors: Were-hogs and Hodags and Bigfoot, oh my! Towns Without Pity: Giant monsters attack the block, while haunted houses beckon!...

A revealing biography of small-town pride, politics, and community is now re-published in e-book form, with audiobook edition soon to follow. First published in 2019 as a 318-page trade paperback by Nodin Press , Minneapolis, Joy Riggs’s "Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Music Man" tells how Minnesota towns once competed for respect, recognition, and renown by mustering talented bands of youth and other musicians. "We're pleased to extend the potential reach of this important 20th century Midwestern history , told through the life of respected music-educator and community band-organizer G. Oliver Riggs ," says Randy Brown, editor and publisher of Middle West Press LLC. "Now, people can enjoy the original Nodin Press paperback edition, or take the e-book or audiobook on the road." Author Joy Riggs is a freelance essayist and journalist based in Northfield, Minn. She specializes in writing about history, travel, and ...

Middle West Press LLC , an independent micro-publisher based in Central Iowa, has issued a call for human-generated poems and micro-prose (450 words max.) telling fantastic stories of monsters in a 21st century American Midwest. The full title of this project is Cryptids, Kaiju & Corn: Poems and Micro-Stories about Modern Midwest Monsters . This will be the second volume of an on-going series. Published in 2025, the first volume is available for sale via Amazon , Bookshop.org , Barnes & Noble , and other on-line and brick-and-mortar booksellers. Deadline for submissions is Jun. 2, 2026. There is no submissions fee. Contributors will each receive one complimentary digital contributor’s copy. This anthology will published in both print and Kindle e-book formats . Publication is projected for Fall 2026. Submit via Submittable here at this link . This is explicitly a speculative poetry (and related micro-flash-prose) market. We welcome both established artists, and those experime...