Diminutive Books Big On Recycling
By Tim Gaskin

Dec 3 | archive | subscribe

If you are looking for innovative, interesting literature in a small, portable format then you need to check out Reactor Press. The San Francisco publisher specializes in publishing small format short works of literature from, as yet, undiscovered authors.

ReActions, their first offerings and the backbone of their project, are an innovative notion in the book industry. Rather than seeking out normal venues of distribution they are marketing the books in train stations, vending machines, coffee shops, knitting stores, and any other location where someone might be looking for something short to read. Imagine being in the waiting room for jury duty, and choosing between a bag of chips, a chocolate bar, or an interesting story that you can read in an hour. What would you choose? At only $2 each, Reactor Press is hoping you’ll forego the snack and buy a book, or opt for both.

The first ReActions have recently been released and include two short stories, a book of bilingual (Spanish/English) poetry, and an autobiographic essay about Hurricane Katrina. Further, the author’s hail from Barcelona, New Orleans, Madison, WI, and Portland, OR. The diversity of their offerings is a testament to their dedication to good writing.

The owners, Donald Backman and Amie Pascal-Joiner, met while studying Comparative Literature at San Francisco State University. Their love of literature is the inspiration for their work, and through this they hope to provide opportunities to new writers. Reactor Press, in fact, is all about opportunities. It is an opportunity to read something new, an opportunity for an undiscovered author, and perhaps most importantly, an opportunity to give back to the community. 10% of all profits are donated to charity.

Their philosophy on literature and giving is reflected in a note on the inside of cover of each of the books that encourages the reader to: provide a home for it on a bookshelf, give it to someone who’ll appreciate it, mail it to a random person, frame it or if all else fails, readers are encouraged to recycle it. reactorpress.net