"We believe in the credo expressed by an independent bookseller who said, 'bookstores are the innkeepers of the soul.' Small regional presses are a part of that
effort to help tend our communal hearth-fires, to offer readers thoughtful excursions into worlds of culture and storytelling. In our modern, high-stress world of
laptops and cell phones, independent-press books are a respite, a refuge, a resource of words to warm the heart and share from person to person. What
could be more revolutionary, more seditious, in today's consumer mass culture, than to maintain an irrational commitment to keeping homemade literature
alive and close to those it serves?"
Our books strive to preserve "a sense of place," with a focus on the regional culture of the American Midwest. Common threads include the interplay of culture
and place, the value of folk heritage and good stories, the way history is shaped as it is passed down over generations by everyday people.
Small Press Book Award for Fiction (1997) for Winona's Web (also, 1997 Body Mind Spirit Award of Excellence)
Independent Publishers Book Award (finalist, 1998), for The Blues is a Feeling
Leslie Cross Award/Council of Wisconsin Writers (Best Wisconsin Nonfiction Book, 1995), for Farmhouse Fiddlers
Great Lakes Book Award (finalist, 1996), for Charlotte Avery on Isle Royale
Minnesota Book Award (finalist, 1996), for When Beaver Was Very Great
Book Award of Merit/State Historical Society of Wisconsin (1997), for Carrie and the Crazy Quilt
Minnesota Book Award (finalist, 1997), for The American Barbershop
Farmhouse Fiddlers. "A perfect marriage of photography and spoken history." - Minneapolis Star Tribune
Warming Fires. "Fifty years ago, these stories would have appeared in the Saturday Evening Post." - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Charlotte Avery on Isle Royale. "Charlotte is a thoughtful and engaging character." - School Library Journal
The Ghost of Honeymoon Creek. "Readers will find the suspense satisfying and the main character a sympathetic young hero." - ALA Booklist
When Beaver Was Very Great. "The stories of Ojibwe modern life are especially rich." - Capital Times (Madison, Wisc.)
The Fresh Grave. "The kids found the stories 'awesome.'" - Illinois Times
The Illustrated Voyageur. "Attractive, information, and easy to read." Parade magazine
- Philip Martin, director
We are a nonprofit publishing organization founded in 1993, with original offices at Folklore Village, a small folklore activity center near Dodgeville (west of
Madison) in rural southwestern Wisconsin. In 1997, the two founders, Philip Martin and Jean Johnson, moved to the Milwaukee area, where they continue
the press's commitment to quality independent book publishing.
Beginning in 2004, all our new children's books are printed under the imprint Blue Horse Books. Areas of particular interest include Native American stories and
chapter books for young readers (ages 8 to 12) with regional themes.
Benjamin Franklin Award (History, 1995) for The Illustrated Voyageur
Hungry Mind Review's Children's Books of Distinction (finalist, 1994), for A Time to Harvest
The American Barbershop. "A wonderful new book." - San Diego Union Tribune