Cities of the Straits Chapbooks
named for Waawiiyaatanong and its cities
The “City of the Straits” chapbook series is our line of titles that opens spaces for experimentation, emerging and debut writers, and smaller scale projects. This series celebrates the unique cultural and historical ties between these two cities, often referred to as the “City of the Straits” due to their location along the Detroit River. Urban Farmhouse Press focuses on poetry, literary fiction, and chapbooks, providing a platform for diverse voices and stories from the region. The series is part of their broader mission to support and promote literary arts in the Windsor-Detroit area.
Explore Our Diverse Catalog
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Biking Englewood
Benjamin Goluboff
may 2019/ 30 pp/ essay
IIn the city of Laquan McDonald and in the season when some white Americans are beginning to learn that black lives matter, it would be absurd to set myself up as an apologist for the white gaze. I seek to describe its interiority, and to suggest something of what it’s like to live within its limitations.
Nine Lives: A Reunion in Paris
Marty Gervais
june 2020/ 40 pp/ epistolary fiction
Return to the sweetness of lives lived through this series of epistolary short fictions by one of Souwesto’s most gifted and important writers and storytellers. Nine Lives: A Reunion in Paris affords us a fictional look into how lives connect, how origins happen, and the role of fatherhood in light of the various ways that relationships unfold. Gervais, the great lyricist and storyteller unfurls a series of tales that pour forth over borders, uniting people in its pooling richness, akin to a fine French wine overflowing from its glass.
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Curious Connections
In this collection of flash fiction pieces Rockwell delivers us into the various ways that people both connect and disconnect in our modern world. Rockwell tackles themes of communication, love, sexuality, identity, and even survival with characters ranging in age and life experience. From cellphone conversations to shared moments with a classic song, these pieces are vignettes that allow the reader to connect with the experience of lives lived.
Smack in the Middle of Spotlit Obvious
Laurie Smith
2016/ 56 pp / poetry
From dreams to memories to the realities of life in the border cities of Windsor and Detroit, Smith’s collection of poems brings us through the wonder and the questionable in our everyday lives. Hers is a strong voice that emerges from the places familiar to those who inhabit the region these poems call home. From the works of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera to New Year’s Eve spent at the infamous Coach and Horses dive bar to the seeming simplicity of breakfast with her father, these poems connect on a profoundly personal level.
Chapbooks, those small, unassuming booklets, carry the weight of centuries within their pages. They emerged in 16th century Europe, democratizing literature by making it accessible to the common folk. These humble books, often filled with ballads, poems, and tales, were the lifeblood of oral traditions, capturing the voices of the people and the spirit of the times.
In the hands of itinerant peddlers, chapbooks traveled far and wide, spreading knowledge and stories to those who might never have held a book otherwise. They were a bridge between the spoken word and the written, a testament to the power of storytelling in all its forms.
Today, chapbooks continue to be a vital part of the literary landscape, offering a space for emerging voices and experimental works. They remind us that even the smallest book can hold a universe of meaning, connecting us to our past and guiding us into the future.