Posted on Leave a comment

DPP Contributor Interview: A. L. Heard

A photograph of an open hard-cover book resting on a white surface. It's sunny and bright. A blurred-out background suggests the outdoors. Text over the image reads "Author interview! Meet A. L. Heard." The Duck Prints Press logo is at the bottom middle of the image.

A. L. Heard is one of the founding members of Duck Prints Press and has been a part of our planning team since before our official inception, offering her advice and expertise to the Press since mid-2019, and she’s been an editor on our anthologies Add Magic to Taste, And Seek (Not) to Alter Me, He Bears the Cape of Stars, She Wears the Midnight Crown, and Aim For The Heart. She’s also a prolific author of stories of all lengths and in all genres, and one of the most active authors involved with the Press.

Pre-orders of the revised edition of A. L. Heard’s debut novel Hockey Bois open on December 1st, 2023!

Want to meet A. L. Heard and ask her YOUR questions? YOU CAN! Join us TOMORROW, Thursday, November 30th, at 8 p.m. Eastern time (converter) on our Book Lover’s Discord server for a very special Ask Me Anything session with the author of Hockey Bois!

A photograph of a slim white woman, shown from the shoulders up, with a forest in the background. She is casually dressed, her hair up, and large aviator-style sunglasses cover her eyes. This is an author portrait of A. L. Heard.

Author Biography: Ashley, pen name A. L. Heard, fandom name jhoom, is a 35-year-old teacher, writer, and mother of two little boys. She’s been writing fanworks since she discovered fanfiction.net back in her middle school days; the platform has changed and the writing’s improved, but Ashley ultimately still spends her free time writing about characters she adores in worlds she’d like to explore. Her first novel, Hockey Bois, was published in 2021. In between writing projects, she works as a language teacher in the Pittsburgh area, plays hockey, and plays trains with her sons.

Links: Bluesky | Instagram


How did you pick the name you create under?

It’s a combination of my [real life] name and family names, making it unique but also still connected to me.


When and why did you begin creating?

I started writing fic during middle school and went through phases where I’d write fic and original work and then long periods with no writing. I’m happy to be settled into writing on a regular basis 🙂


What’s your favorite part of the creation process?

The brainstorming and playing around with a new story and characters, where everything is still possible and I haven’t had to commit to any particular plot point.


Describe your ideal creation space.

An office that’s well lit with an endless supply of tea or coffee or snacks, with no distractions or extra noises except birds. Either that or a brewery or cafe with background noise.


What are your favorite snacks and/or drinks to consume while creating?

Tea, coffee, and baked goods (cookies, scones, that sort of thing)


What’s one thing (style, genre, etc.) that you think you’ll never do, and why not?

Epic fantasy – they’re awesome stories but I don’t have the creativity/brain for a large scale world and magic system like that.


Short Stories A. L. has published with Duck Prints Press:

Posted on Leave a comment

Shop Duck Prints Press This Weekend and Save!

A text graphic over a watercolor-esque background of light rainbow shades. The text reads: This Saturday, November 25th, celebrate Small Business Saturday. Below this text is the American Express 'Shop Small' logo, then the word at, then the Duck Prints Press Logo that reads Duck Prints Press, is edged on the left and bottom by duck prints in rainbow shades, has the Press duck mascot Dux standing on the right, and includes the Press slogan 'We Print Diversity' at the bottom. Additional text below this reads: Use code ? to save 25% off your order placed this weekend!

This Saturday, November 25th, is Small Business Saturday! Duck Prints Press is offering our best coupon of the year – 25% off, no other purchase necessary! Looking to shop small this holiday season? Check out Duck Prints Press, the fan-created independent small press that publishes the (usually extremely queer) original work of fanauthors and fanartists. We’ve got great gifts for the queer book lover in your life, including anthologies, short stories, merchandise, and more. And, of course, we’ve got lots of adorable merch featuring our adorable Dux mascot, too!

This coupon was created for our newsletter subscribers… but there are a couple sneaky ways to get it even if you’re not a subscriber. Want to grab this discount for yourself but didn’t get to subscribe to our newsletter in time? Well, don’t despair – there’s still two ways you can get in on the savings!

You can…

back us on Patreon, and get access to this coupon and additional coupons you can use all year round!

join our Book Lover’s Discord Server, and get this coupon, a lovely place to chat with fans who love books, and access to Discord-exclusive events like Ask Me Anything sessions!

Posted on Leave a comment

Small Business Saturday SALE on duckprintspress.com!

A text graphic over a watercolor-esque background of light rainbow shades. The text reads: This Saturday, November 25th, celebrate Small Business Saturday. Below this text is the American Express 'Shop Small' logo, then the word at, then the Duck Prints Press Logo that reads Duck Prints Press, is edged on the left and bottom by duck prints in rainbow shades, has the Press duck mascot Dux standing on the right, and includes the Press slogan 'We Print Diversity' at the bottom. Additional text below this reads: Newsletter Subscribers will receive a Coupon for 25% off their entire purchase made on November 25th!

This Saturday, November 25th, is Small Business Saturday! Looking to shop small this holiday season? Check out Duck Prints Press, the fan-created independent small press that publishes the (usually extremely queer) original work of fanauthors and fanartists. We’ve got great gifts for the queer book lover in your life, including anthologies, short stories, merchandise, and more. And, of course, we’ve got lots of adorable merch featuring our adorable Dux mascot, too!

What have we got? Well, what are you looking for?? We have…

A graphic over a background of rainbow colors in watercolor splotches. Text at the top reads: Now available at duckprintspress.com/shop. Below this is an array if items with accompany labels: "art prints" with two examples, "Print books" with DPP anthologies "He Bears the Cape of Stars," "She Wears the Midnight Crown," and "And Seek (Not) to Alter Me," "Shirts" with three examples, two of which are t-shirts and one of which is a hoodie, "Stickers and Magnets" with a citrus slice with rainbow segments and a Dux with a mustache, devil horns, devil tail, and trident, and "Enamel Pins" with an owl, raccoon, crow, fox, moose, and wolf pin, and also a woman in a crown and a man in a cape. At the bottom of the graphic, text reads "...and MORE!"

BEST YET?

All newsletter subscribers will receive a coupon good for 25% off their ENTIRE PURCHASE made this weekend! So if you’re not a subscriber yet, there’s no time like the present!

And while you’re at it, make sure you follow us on the social media platform(s) of your choice! Also, come read with us on our Book Lover’s Discord Server. Want to support indie queer publishing all year round? Back us on Patreon and get awesome rewards!

Posted on Leave a comment

Did You Know Duck Prints Press Has a Press Kit?

Did you know? No? Well now you do – Duck Prints Press has a Press Kit! We’ve been working hard to expand the functionality of our website, provide the resources that people request, give people the information they need to learn about the Press, and increase access for prospective contributors and customers!

The Press Kit is one of our biggest recent expansions.

A screen capture from the PDF edition of the Duck Prints Press Press Kit. On the left it shows the book marks. The first hierarchy header is "Duck Prints Press LLC Press Kit" and beneath this is:
About the Press
About the Founder
Media Assets
Get in Touch
Upcoming Events
The second hierarchy header is "Selected Works," and the subtitles for this read:
Title: Aim For The Heart
Title: She Wears the Midnight Crown
Title: He Bears the Cape of Stars
Title: And Seek (Not) to Alter Me
Title: Add Magic to Taste
Title: Many Drops Make a Stream
Title: To Drive the Hundred Miles

The right side of the image shows a sample page with the header "Media Assets." Beneath this are the two Duck Prints Press logos, the general imprint logo with a rainbow duck print motif and the Duxxx Prints Press explicit imprint logo with a rainbow citrus slice motif. Text beneath this reads "Download Media Assets," "Download Our Free Zine with Previews and More," and then a new header reads Get In Touch and lists several of our contact methods. The details are not relevant to the function of this screen capture, which is aimed more at showing what the Press Kit looks like than at conveying the information contained in the image.

This resource provides all the basics about Duck Prints Press in one easy package, such as who we are, what our goals are, where you can access media assets, how to contact us, and details on our crowdfunded projects to date! We continue to update this monthly as time passes, so this will be a great, easy-to-use page for finding out what Duck Prints Press is up to!

What else have we been working on? Well…

  • We have released an Accessibility Statement, and are working to bring our website and all our epubs up to current standards in accessibility. This is very much a work in progress, but we are committed to enacting best practices that we, as a small business with limited staff, haven’t already met. This has primarily meant adding alt text to images on our webpage, as most of the rest of our page already complies with best practices. For our epub files, it’s primarily meant adding meta-data that indicates that the files are compliant with accessibility standards: our files are accessible, just not labeled as such in a findable way!
  • We’ve expanded our About Duck Prints Press page to include testimonials from our contributors and synopses of our past crowdfunding campaigns.
  • Our Upcoming Events page lists events we’ve applied to vend at, indicating when we’ve been approved and providing information on dates, times, and locations for opportunities to come meet us in person. Currently, we’re scheduled to vend at events and conventions in New York State and Massachusetts.
  • We also regularly update many of our other pages, such as adding new people to the Creators We Work With page as we publish more works, adding new editions of our free zine to our Zine page monthly, and cross-posting our General Interest and Explicit Imprint newsletters to the webpage as we send them out (though sans coupons and other bonuses – if you want newsletter-specific content, you’ll have to subscribe!)

TL:DR: Our website is an ever-expanding one-stop resource for learning more about Duck Prints Press, accessing resources we’ve created to share, shopping our titles and merchandise, reading our blog, and more! If you’ve never stopped by, why not join us today and see what we have to offer today?

Posted on Leave a comment

Upcoming Event: A Big Gay Market

This coming Sunday, October 29th, Duck Prints Press will be vending at A Big Gay Market in Albany, New York. This outdoor, open-air market is in Washington Park right downtown, runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and features over 100 vendors. Vendor registration fees benefit Unirondack Queer Youth Advocacy Retreat.

About the Market: A Big Gay Market is a designated safe and affirmative space for LGBTQI+ individuals, especially for those in our community that have intersecting marginalized identities, to join together in queer and trans joy for a cause. This market aims to benefit Camp Unirondack’s Queer Youth Advocacy Retreat.

About Camp Unirondack: Founded in 1951 by the Universalists, Unirondack is a radically inclusive Camp and Conference Center located on Niiohehsà:ne (Beaver Lake) in the forever wild forests of the Western Adirondack Mountains on Haudenosaunee Land. Unirondack is a community that is shaped and re-shaped each summer by its staff members, campers, and volunteers. We offer some things in common with other summer camps: a beautiful lakeside setting, a wide range of daily activities, family-style meals, and the chance to spend time away in the woods. But what truly makes us unique is the energy, caring and creativity of the people who call Unirondack home.

About Us: Duck Prints Press LLC is an independent publisher based in New York State. Our founding vision is to work with fancreators to publish their original work. We are particularly dedicated to working with queer authors and artists to publish stories featuring characters from across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum.

We’re really excited to be part of an event that so closely aligns with our goals and interests as a Press, and we hope we’ll be able to see some of you there!

In addition to the donation of the vending fee paid, Duck Prints Press will be donating 10% of our net proceeds from sales at the Market to Camp Unirondack. For those unable to attend in person, we encourage you to shop in our store on October 29th, 2023. All purchases made that day, we’ll donate 10% of the net proceeds to Unirondack, just as we would if you bought from us in person at the market.

Posted on Leave a comment

Get to Know: Alec J. Marsh

Alec J. Marsh, author of the holiday novella To Drive the Hundred Miles (pre-orders open now!) lives in the Pacific Northwest, where they write romantic adult fantasy and self-indulgent fanfiction. They make candles inspired by their favorite characters.

You can get to know him better by checking him out his preferred social media platforms:

Or you can get to know him by checking out his other Duck Prints Press publications:

OR, best of all, you can get to know Alec by joining us for our first-ever Ask Me Anything session on our Discord Server! Join us on Discord, and attend this awesome Q&A session this Sunday, October 15th, at 3 PM Eastern Time!

(And don’t forget to pre-order To Drive the Hundred Miles!)

Posted on Leave a comment

There’s No Time Like the Present to Back the Duck Prints Press Patreon!

There’s no time like the present to back the Duck Prints Press Patreon!

Why should you back Duck Prints Press?

  • support a queer-owned indie press, founded by fandom creators for fandom creators looking to publish their original work!
  • help a great, transparent, ethical small business that helps usually queer, often disabled, creators publish queer stories and art!
  • AND you get awesome stuff in exchange!

Wait, I’ll get stuff?

You will get so much stuff!!!

  • a free short story every month!
  • exclusive teasers and previews!
  • behind-the-scenes access via our Patreon blog and Discord!
  • voting rights to influence future anthology themes!
  • a discount in our webstore!
  • and that’s JUST THE MINIMUM LEVEL! You get all that for ONLY $3 PER MONTH. Higher levels get EVEN MORE!

Why is now a great time?

  • we will no longer be releasing new short stories to our website! So backing on Patreon will be the only way to get them!
  • as a result, we just changed how many stories our backers get!
    • $3/month backers now get one short story per month
    • $5/month backers now get two short stories per month
    • $7/month backers now a minimum of four short stories per month
    • $10/month backers now a minimum of five short stories per month
    • $25/month backers now a minimum of six short stories per month
  • when you back, you also get instant access to every single backer-reward story we’ve ever released! As of right now, that’s 30 free stories for backers at the $3/month, $5/month, and $7/month level, and 59 free stories for backers at the $10/month and $25/month level! That’s a LOT of stories!!!
  • Did you just buy Many Drops Make a Stream by Adrian Harley? People who back us on Patreon will get an exclusive epilogue when we fulfill the pre-order campaign! And, if you back us at the $10/month or $25/month level before October 15th, you can still get our Patreon-exclusive bonus reward (it’s a totally awesome engraved wooden coaster)! We’ll add the extra retroactively to your order, even though pre-orders are now closed!
  • Did you just buy To Drive the Hundred Miles by Alec J. Marsh? Patrons at the $10/month and $25/month level who back the campaign (which runs until October 20th!) will also get a bonus extra: a snowflake ornament!
  • and I mean, isn’t it always a good time to support a queer indie press?

So come on over to our Patreon, help us grow our Press, and get lots of awesome stuff for yourself!

Who We Are: Duck Prints Press LLC is an independent publisher owned and operated by @unforth. We work with fan creators to publish their original art and stories. We are particularly dedicated to publishing works featuring characters from across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. Love what we do but aren’t up for backing right now? That’s okay! Sign up for our monthly newsletter and get previews, behind-the-scenes information, coupons, and more!

Posted on Leave a comment

It’s Bisexual Visibility Day! Come See Duck Prints Press’s Bisexuals!

Earlier this week, we celebrated the start of Bisexual Awareness Week by sharing 18 books we’ve read and loved that include bisexual characters. Today, we aim to bring visibility to some titles that aren’t as widely known: our own! We’ve got three anthologies, two novels, and five short stories that feature explicitly bisexual characters. Learn all about ‘um now!

To Fill My Cup by Violet J. Hayes

“Here, Grandma, let me get you a stool.” Talia hurried to bring one from the other side of the island and helped her settle down into it. “Do you want a fresh cup of coffee?”

“No, dear, I’m fine.” One by one, her grandmother picked up each sweet potato. Her fingers were stiff with arthritis, the knuckles swollen. Talia wondered if she could get her plain gold wedding band off even if she wanted to. She turned each potato in her hands, murmuring as she did so. Talia knew she was doing math to calculate the number of servings, but it gave the impression of a sorcerer muttering an incantation.

I think my grandma might be a witch, she texted Rachael, and was surprised when her phone rang a moment later. “Hey, Rach.”

“Hey.”

It only took that single word for Talia to know something was off. “What’s wrong?”


Add Magic to Taste with contributions by 20 authors; five of the stories include bisexual characters

For Add Magic to Taste, 20 authors have come together to produce new, original short stories uniting four of our absolute favorite themes: queer relationships, fluff, magic, and coffee shops! Our diverse writers have created an even more diverse collection of stories guaranteed to sweeten your coffee and warm your tart.


A Mutual Interest by Alec J. Marsh

Tirsa stopped arguing with Jeromy after they reached the outskirts of the city, and by the time they’d made it to open countryside she had fallen asleep, snuggled against the window of the jeep under his coat. He didn’t mind her arguing, not exactly, but she was arguing against her own best interests. She deserved a weekend off.

The traffic grew thicker as they neared the army checkpoint into Kestilav Province, and Jeromy pulled to a stop. Tirsa didn’t stir, and her breathing whistled a little bit. Jeromy’s heart squeezed with fondness.


Commit to the Kick by Tris Lawrence

For eighteen years, Alaric has lived under the cloying politics of family and his Clan community. His freshman year is supposed to be a chance to explore a world where Clan and his shapeshifting Talent isn’t central to his life. But when his inner bear bursts forth during his first football game, endangering those around him, Alaric realizes that it’s not so easy to ignore his past, or his own internalized anger.

In his quest for anger management, Alaric begins to train in taekwondo, and makes new friends in both sports. He finds that he is creating his own small community, where Clan, Mages, other Talents, and even humans come together and build their own found family.

When Alaric receives news that something has happened to his brother Orson, he must return and deal with his Clan and his place in their world. He discovers that old prejudices are still strong between Clan and Mage communities, but that both may be in danger from a creature long thought to be only a legend. Alaric must figure out how to move forward and prevent a war and protect both his home and newly built communities, his found family with him every step of the way.


Bubble, Bubble by Sage Mooreland

“Punk, if you don’t get your rear end down here, we’re not going to be able to go!” Charlotte called up the stairs. “I thought you wanted to do three blocks tonight?”

There was a muffled thump, some child-friendly cursing, and then running feet. “Mama, gimme a minute! Dad’s fixing my costume!”


And Seek (Not) to Alter Me: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, an anthology with contributions by 16 authors and 16 artists; three of the stories include bisexual characters

In And Seek (Not) to Alter Me, 16 authors and 16 artists have come together to create an exquisite, full-color collection of artwork and stories inspired by William Shakespeare’s play Much Ado About Nothing. We encouraged contributors to stretch their imaginations, think outside the box, and put their own unique—and queer—twists on Benedick, Beatrice, Hero, Claudio, Don Pedro, and the whole gang! In true Shakespearean fashion, our creators utilize gender, sexuality, romanticism, and a host of costume changes to tell unique artworks and stories—some featuring original characters, some characters from the play—that show Shakespeare’s work in a whole new light.


A Glimmer of Hope by Nina Waters

Gregory Adalwin’s life ended the day in 1746 when his liege lord, Duke Haribert Schultheis-Königsmann, was murdered. With everything he’d spent a thousand years building in ruins, Gregory set out to wreak vengeance on those who had killed the Duke. He didn’t expect to survive. Yet, a century after completing his revenge, Gregory is somehow still breathing. He wastes his days in an alcoholic stupor, clothed and fed and housed at the sufferance of Teyrngar Gwehydd, once sworn to his service, now owed more than he can ever hope to repay. The only things that get him out of bed are the vodka that Mstislav Alkayev sneaks to him and the prospect of spending time with the beautiful pixie Yermolai Praskovya. No one remembers who Gregory is, no one knows him, and no one cares about him. After how Gregory failed his Duke, he deserves nothing more.

Or so he thinks, until someone tries to kill him, and Gregory is confronted by a stupefying question: who on earth could possibly give enough of a damn about him to want him dead?


In Which James Willoby Enjoys a Ball Far More Than One Should by A. L. Heard

It was halfway through the second dance when “the moment” finally came.

James caught sight of him at a distance, a familiar form lurking at the periphery of his vision. As he turned with the dance, James focused on that corner of the ballroom, locking eyes with none other than their host.

Haywood Keating was by all accounts a handsome man. Nearly ten years James’s senior, he exuded the type of charm and confidence only the wealthy could afford, coaxing smiles and earning admiration wherever he went. His dark suit, although perfectly tailored and pressed, was almost boring when viewed among the other gentry wearing their best, but the bright-purple cravat dotted with yellow paisley made him stand out all the same. His hair was longer these days, the dark strands beginning to curl but currently tamed; his footman must have pulled it back and fastened it with that vibrant-green ribbon that complemented his dark complexion. A sight to behold, as always.


He Bears the Cape of Stars, an anthology with contributions by 17 authors; three of the stories include bisexual characters

He Bears the Cape of Stars is one of our two paired masquerade-themed anthologies. It features 17 stories exploring mlm relationships developing, growing, and changing while the characters attend or participate in masquerades!

The collected works in He Bears the Cape of Stars feature men and masculine-leaning genderqueer characters, with a spectrum of sexualities, and these diverse individuals inhabit worlds ranging from a science fiction setting where everyone must be masked to breathe, to a fantasy world where no one wears a literal mask but everyone shows the world a false guise, to an iteration of the real world where all the characters truly want is to take their masks off and show the world who they really are. Our contributors stretched their imaginations to present innovative stories exploring what a masquerade can be…and, of course, tell rich, engaging tales of wonderful queer folk finding love, companionship, acceptance, the queer platonic relationship of their dreams, or the found family they deserve.


No One Right Way by R. L. Houck

Sometime a little past 9 p.m., Rachel swanned into the bedroom from the bathroom. She paused suddenly a few steps past the doorway. Nikkōka glanced up, noting she wore the shorts-and-T-shirt combo she normally donned for bed. Her mouth was pinched with anxiety despite her confident stance.

“I am horny, and I am going to get off,” she announced.


Did you know? You can read many of these stories RIGHT NOW, and claim the others as freebies, by becoming a support of Duck Prints Press on Patreon!

Posted on Leave a comment

Duck Prints Press Summer 2023 Con Wrap!

We’ve now vended at our first two cons, and we wanted to take a few minutes to blog about it!

I (press owner Claire Houck/unforth) attended Fandom Fest in Schenectady, NY, and Albacon in Clifton Park, NY, and vended on behalf of the Press. Authors Nova Mason, Shea Sullivan, Catherine E. Green, and Tris Lawrence helped me out with manning the booth, handling transactions, participating in our first DPP panel, and more, so huge THANKS to them. (Also to Prof. Robert Heverly from Albany Law School, for contributing his expertise on copyright law to our Fandom Fest panel). I wrote about our Fandom Fest panel here, and about our events at Albacon here and here.

To be honest, we really had no idea how things would go, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that we far exceeded our expectations. Going into this, I’ll own I was very afraid – would people be interested in our Press? Would we make money? Or would we be that sad, lonely table that everyone walks quickly by? But things couldn’t have gone better – they went so well we’re already looking at more events to attend in the future.

From a fiscal standpoint, we made almost double what I anticipated and completely made up the expense of buying the supplies and equipment necessary for us to vend at these events and going forward. From a panel perspective, our events were nicely attended. From a “growing the business” standpoint, we added many names to our mailing lists and gained social media platforms. And, from a networking standpoint, we had a fantastic time and met a lot of awesome people – and that’s primarily what this post is about!

You already know about us; we’re here to shout-out some other folks we’re now very happy to know!

The amazing Syrren and I bonded instantly over our shared love of the men of Mo Xiang Tong Xiu books and Stardew Valley romance options. I miiiight have ended up with some merch (though the Genshin Impact ones are gifts for a friend).

According to the Fandom Fest organizers, it was 100% a coincidence that we ended up next to Duck and Cover, but we couldn’t have had a cooler or more appropriate neighbor. A con attendee felt it was so on-brand for Duck Prints Press that they actually bought us this one-of-a-kind hand-painted James Bond duckie! We also talked with Duck and Cover about maybe offering some of their custom ducks as campaign add-ons in the future, so be on the lookout…

The owner of The Cogitation Zone, Lisa, is a long-time friend of Tris Lawrence, who commissioned us this custom Duck Prints Press business card holder that’ll be accompanying us to all our future cons! Lisa also had made a large number of adorable creatures, and I miiiight have traded a copy of one of our anthologies for an axolotl. Because. Axolotl.

The Consol Collection, sadly, has no website that I can find, but they had a lot of things such as this adorable Totoro sticker I got for my kids. And when the owner of Eclectic Arts approached me in an absolutely fabulous Hawaiian shirt featuring Pride-flag-colored twenty-sided dice, I instantly agreed to a sticker trade. On the right, jiadoesart had many lovely things, and I picked out some stickers for my Ghibli-loving kids.

Some Other Neat Folks We Met:

Pastel Prince Shop: lots of gorgeous queer art and merch; I’m hoping to get one of their asexual pride bracelets in the future (it got sold before I could grab it, sadly).

Bear and Bird Boutique: a local business that was vending at Fandom Fest, too, they have a lot of amazing bits and baubles, both fandom-related and original. We’ve bought everything from the Hilda graphic novel to a dragon puzzle at their store.

Picnocline: the only reason I didn’t buy things from Picnocline’s shop is that there were so many cute things that I literally couldn’t pick.

It’s Getting Dicey: dice, one of my true weaknesses! They have metal pride-flag dice sets, and lots of queer dice trays. I wish I could get them all…

Two-Penny Nerdlesque: a local burlesque troupe; they were very enthusiastic about And Seek (Not) to Alter Me and our queerifying of Much Ado About Nothing, and delighted told me about their own very queer versions of Shakespeare and other plays – I’m definitely going to have to check them out in the future.

(There are others too, but I didn’t grab everyone’s information, and I think this is plenty for one post. 😀 )

If any of you all are seeing this post, it was an absolute delight to meet you, and please don’t be a stranger!

Going forward, we’re looking forward to participating in more events and making more connections with other creators, especially other queer creators! Just today, we’ve applied to vend at A Big Gay Market, taking place in Washington Park in Albany on October 29th, 2023. We’ve also got a tentative schedule for 2024, and we’ll post more about where you’ll be able to find us as the dates grow closer and we find out if the juried shows have accepted our applications. We’re going to do our best to continue the success we’ve enjoyed at our first two conventions by pursuing vending as a way to meet potential readers and customers, grow relationships with other queer creators, and get the Duck Prints Press names out there for the benefit of all the authors, artists, and others we work with!

Got a con in New York State or Massachusetts that you love and think we should try to attend in 2024? Let us know in the comments or by dropping us an e-mail at info@duckprintspress.com!