We spoke with Dede Cummings, founder and publisher of Green Writers Press, in our latest Member Spotlight.
What is the history behind Green Writers Press? When was it founded and what is its mission?
When I founded Green Writers Press (GWP) in April 2014, I sought to use my thirty-five-plus years of publishing experience to do something about the growing climate crisis. Twelve years later, the press has grown significantly in its size and in its mission, publishing books from glaciologists and governors alike and vocally supporting human rights movements in conjunction with nature rights movements.
The core of this expanding mission lies in feminism. We are a woman-owned publishing company, and we are actively seeking diversity in our authors and their stories. We represent writers and staff who are bisexual, gay, straight, trans, BIPOC, Catholic, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, immigrants—we want to create a safe place for freedom of expression, and we want to raise a chorus of voices of writers, readers, and artists who care about the fate of the earth and want to do something about it.
What are some of the ways Green Writers Press spreads its mission of environmental activism?
GWP’s goal is to minimize the use of hazardous chemicals, to use energy efficiently, and recycle, reuse, or reduce waste whenever possible. In addition, we use the most environmentally friendly papers and printing processes. Ideally, all of our books would be printed on paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, ensuring it comes from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social, and economic benefits; this certification signifies sustainable harvesting, protecting biodiversity, water quality, and indigenous rights. While some of our printers can’t offer the FSC logo, they use 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper and vegetable-based inks.
GWP is also committed to preserving and protecting the natural resources of the earth. To that end, we annually donate a percentage of our profits to environmental and social activist groups like 350Vermont, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Planned Parenthood, The Root Social Justice Center, SUSU CommUNITY Farm, Vermont Land Trust, NAACP, Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center, Earth Creative, and other groups that are actively seeking a better world for all people and the Earth.
At Green Writers Press, we have witnessed the systemic racism against Black and BIPOC people across the country. We want to show up and be held accountable as we navigate this new world. We want our BIPOC authors, artists, and readers to feel a safe space within our publishing house. We operate as a community, and the ways we will continue to publish and produce books are tools for social and environmental justice. We aim to get closer to a carbon-free future, and there is no question that AI is an energy hog—here at the press we and our authors and artists do not use it. According to Elizabeth Kolbert in The New Yorker, “Data centers now account for about four percent of electricity consumption.”
With a dedicated team of freelancers who believe in and support the press’s mission, GWP is looking toward a bright future, one in which tyranny is supplanted by the collective voices of the world’s literary community rising up—echoing Audre Lorde, who said, “There is no liberation without community.”
Can you tell us about some recent or upcoming Green Writers Press titles?
Keya Chatterjee’s engaging debut novel, The Revolution Will Not Be Rated G, set in the not-too-distant future, marries climate activism and romance to impressive effect. I did not hesitate when Chatterjee, the director of Free DC, approached me about publishing a “steamy” romance fiction (even though the press had never published that kind of fiction!). According to Jake Cumsky-Whitlock, co-owner of Solid State Books, “If you’re looking for a fast-paced and fun romance novel that also gives you hope that we can get out of the political mess we are in, The Revolution Will Not Be Rated G is for you! Set against a backdrop of racial authoritarianism and climate chaos in a near-future Washington, DC, Keya’s book delivers that most essential of romance tropes—a second chance for us all.”
The press worked recently with Spielberg Literary to acquire deep ecologist Bill Powers’ fifth title, Ripple: An Intimate Exchange of Urgency and Hope Between An Ecologist Dad and His Daughter, a narrative of letters from an ecologist dad to his daughter upon her coming of age. Editor Rose Alexandre-Leach worked with Powers to draw upon personal history, family anecdotes, and shared memories. Together with his daughter, he envisions a path for humanity’s reintegration with nature and a chance to rescue the life force that runs through all of us. Our college interns unanimously said it was the most inspiring book of GWP’s frontlist!
Recently, the press was thrilled by the notification that one of our poetry collections was the co-winner of the 2026 Paterson Poetry Prize. According to Armenian-American newspaper Asbarez, “With Nostalgia for the Future: New and Selected Poems, 1984-2023, award-winning poet Gregory Djanikian returns to the literary scene with a collection that spans and celebrates his prolific career. Written over several decades, Nostalgia for the Future takes for its many subjects romantic love and its difficulties, the horrors of the Armenian genocide of 1915, the émigré experience and the joys and struggles of acculturation, the allure of landscapes and vast distances, the polarity of our material life on earth and our longing for what is ethereal and elusive, all in tones that are humorous, elegiac, contemplative, lyrical, and suffused with a gratitude for the mysteriousness and wonder of life itself.”
What distributor is Green Writers Press working with? How can bookstores and libraries find and order your titles?
Since 2019, Independent Publishers Group (IPG) has handled the distribution of GWP’s titles. Our books are listed on Edelweiss via IPG’s catalogs and are available via Bookshop.org and Ingram. Follett carries GWP titles as well.
Are there any indie bookstores (or libraries) that you think do a particularly good job featuring titles from indie publishers? If so, what do they do?
I see Green Writers Press as a “locavore” publisher—one that publishes locally produced books. I run it from my home in West Brattleboro, Vermont, and I have the highest praise for all the bookstores the press partners with. Around fifty-four percent of the press’s sales consistently come from brick-and-mortar stores around the country. Another twenty to twenty-four percent of sales come from libraries.
Many bookstores will look at Ingram’s warehouse first and if our titles are not physically stocked (because we don’t use Ingram for printing), they can contact us or IPG and order directly from IPG.
We love working with bookstores and libraries; it’s a big part of our locavore mission for social and economic justice. One thing we do is ask our new authors what “hometown” bookstore they’d like to choose for the book launch; we then contact the store and ask them to offer signed copies and handle presales for the title. Our publicists also do an amazing job of finding and contacting independent bookstores whose values strongly align with ours. We love building relationships with the creative teams and wonderful event hosts at indie bookstores across the country.
How can interested writers submit their work to Green Writers Press?
GWP uses Submittable (with no charge) and considers nonfiction, poetry, fiction, short story collections, environmental essay collections, middle-grade and YA/teen fiction, artwork, and photography. Since we are a small organization and so swamped with inquiries, we don’t want you to feel lost if we don’t get right back to you! We love hearing from writers and artists, and we truly value everyone’s contributions. We are open for submissions each year between March 1 and June 1 annually.
