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• Verlag für diskriminierungskritisches Handeln
• Format:
• Publisher
• Location(s):
• Germany, Berlin / Hiddensee
• From:
• 2013
• Contact:

• wortenundmeer.net

• Contact Persons / Persons Involved:
• Lann Hornscheidt
• Main Language Published:
• German
• Other Language(s) Published:
• English
• History:

• The publisher was founded with the goal of bringing into existence more books that address with sensitivity the violence inflicted by genderisms, racisms, dis-abling practices, and concepts of class, and that experiment with and offer new forms of expression. Accordingly the publisher produces books that open up new perspectives, that are respectful and appreciative, and that simultaneously reflect on intersectional violence. The publishing venture began as a community project. The books are linguistically creative, moving, and nuanced. The publisher brings out books and trans_lates texts that establish presence and effect empowerment.

• Content Focus:

• The fundament of all the publications is a critical reflection on structural violence. This encompasses all the major and intersecting forms of gender-related violence as well as all forms of racism, classism, and discrimination on the basis of dis-abling practices. That the publisher adopts a position is crucial to its operations: the published texts are politically and contextually defined and designed to be as accessible as possible for committed activists.
  Genre borders are fluid and culminate at times in new formats: spoken word in text form with an accompanying CD; stories; nonfiction with questions and limited editions, both designed to prompt self-reflection; essay and article compilations; children’s books; combinations of nonfiction and short stories or interview excerpts; critical anti-racist science fiction (by Octavia Butler); and audiobooks, etc.

• Organization and Decision-making Process:

• The publisher has always endeavored to pay a fair wage to everyone involved in its projects. This means that not only those who were directly employed were well paid but that the publisher also paid for translations and critical proofreading/copyediting, and worked with fair and environmentally conscious printers. All of this cost money of course—more than the publisher currently earns from book sales. It was feasible until September 2018, thanks to startup capital. Since September 2018 the work of publishing once again depends on the unpaid work of the founder. The publisher’s office is now in private premises.

• Financing and Support:

• The publisher could be launched thanks to a generous gift of money. The startup capital was exhausted by September 2018.
  The publisher applies for grants to cover translation but other funding opportunities are rare. Only if the books make such a splash as to permit (several) large print runs does the publisher stand a chance of surviving independently in the long term, and of being able to plough the profits back into new books, or into support for new projects.

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