Cleis Press is an American independent publisher of books in the areas of sexuality,

erotica Erotica is art, literature or photography that deals substantively with subject matter that is erotic, sexually stimulating or sexually arousing. Some critics regard pornography as a type of erotica, but many consider it to be different. Erot ...

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

gender studies Gender studies is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to analysing gender identity and gendered representation. Gender studies originated in the field of women's studies, concerning women, feminism, gender, and politics. The field n ...

, fiction, and human rights. The press was founded in 1980 in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

. It later moved to

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

and was based out of Berkeley until its purchase by Start Media in 2014. Its founders were Frédérique Delacoste, Felice Newman and Mary Winfrey Trautmann, who collectively financed, wrote and published the press's first book ''Fight Back: Feminist Resistance to Male Violence'' in 1981. In 1987, they published ''Sex Work: Writings by Women in the Sex Industry'' by Delacoste with Priscilla Alexander.

History

Over the years, Cleis Press has published nonfiction books by Susie Bright, Annie Sprinkle,

Edmund White Edmund Valentine White III (January 13, 1940 – June 3, 2025) was an American novelist, memoirist, playwright, biographer, and essayist. A pioneering figure in LGBTQ and especially gay literature after the Stonewall riots, he wrote with ra ...

, Essex Hemphill,

Gore Vidal Eugene Luther Gore Vidal ( ; born Eugene Louis Vidal, October 3, 1925 – July 31, 2012) was an American writer and public intellectual known for his acerbic epigrammatic wit. His novels and essays interrogated the Social norm, social and sexual ...

Christine Jorgensen Christine Jorgensen (; May 30, 1926 – May 3, 1989) was an American actress, singer, recording artist, and transgender activist. A trans woman, she was the first person to become widely known in the United States for having Sex reassignment ...

, Matthue Roth,

Patrick Califia Patrick Califia (born 1954), formerly also known as Pat Califia and by the last name Califia-Rice, is an American writer of non-fiction essays about sexuality and of erotic fiction and poetry. Califia is a bisexual trans man. Prior to transit ...

, Violet Blue, Mark A. Michaels and Patricia Johnson and Tristan Taormino, among others. Fiction published by Cleis Press includes works by Achy Obejas, Stephen Elliott, Erastes (author), reissues of classic lesbian pulp fiction (including Ann Bannon's historic Beebo Brinker series), the Nancy Clue series by Mabel Maney,

Virginia Woolf Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer and one of the most influential 20th-century modernist authors. She helped to pioneer the use of stream of consciousness narration as a literary device. Vir ...

's first completed novel, '' Melymbrosia'', and an English-language novel set in North Korea, ''Jia'' by Hyejin Kim. Other Cleis Press authors are Lori Bryant-Woolridge, Cole Riley,

Mitzi Szereto Mitzi Szereto is an American-British author of multi-genre fiction and nonfiction. She has written novels and short stories, and edited fiction and nonfiction anthologies, including her popular true crime franchise "The Best New True Crime Stori ...

, Neil Plakcy,

Radclyffe Radclyffe (real name Dr. Lenora Ruth Barot, born 1950) is an American author of lesbian romance, paranormal romance, erotica, and mystery. She has authored multiple short stories, written fan fiction, and edited numerous anthologies. Radclyffe i ...

, James Lear, and Richard Labonté. Cleis Press' erotic anthologies have included work from well known story writers Sacchi Green, Shanna Germain, Jeremy Edwards, Michelle Augello-Page, Charlotte Stein, ADR Forte, and Teresa Noelle Roberts. Cleis Press produces many erotica collections and self-help sex guides, including ''The Ultimate Guide to Fellatio, The Whole Lesbian Sex Book,'' and '' The Good Vibrations Guide to Sex.'' Some of their collections include ''Best Gay Asian Erotica,'' ''Best Bisexual Women's Erotica,'' and ''Best Lesbian Bondage Erotica,'' and annual anthologies titled ''Best Gay Erotica,'' ''Best Lesbian Erotica,'' and ''Best Women's Erotica.'' In winter of 2010, they began of yearly anthology of bondage erotica, starting with ''Best Bondage Erotica 2011.'' Cleis Press also publishes a wide variety of other thematic collections, including Rachel Kramer Bussel's ''Please, Ma'am: Erotic Stories of Male Submission, Caught Looking: Erotic Tales of Voyeurs and Exhibitionists'', Alison Tyler's ''Frenzy: 60 Stories of Sudden Sex'',

's multiple-genre anthologies and Kristina Wright's genre-themed erotic romance anthologies and ''Best Erotic Romance'' series. In 2000, Cleis Press founded Midnight Editions, a human rights imprint that aims to present fiction, nonfiction, and photojournalism from regions where repression and censorship are endangering creative expression. Midnight Editions published ''The Little School: Tales of Disappearance and Survival in Argentina,'' a 1986 memoir by former political prisoner and

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

board member Alicia Partnoy, as well as ''The Diary of a Political Idiot: Normal Life in Belgrade'' by Jasmina Tešanović. Cleis Press has also published a number of books on

transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...

issues, including

's ''Sex Changes: Transgender Politics'' and Loren Cameron's ''Body Alchemy: Transsexual Portraits.'' More recently, they also published ''The Transgender Child: A Handbook for Families and Professionals,'' by Stephanie Brill and Rachel Pepper, a guidebook for the friends and families of transgender and gender-nonconforming children, which addresses significant social, legal, and medical issues. The press has been the recipient of many awards, including the Firecracker Alternative Book Award for Outstanding Independent Press twice (in 1997 and 1999), and several

Lambda Literary Awards Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary Foundation, Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ+ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ+ literatur ...

in 2010. In 2014, Cleis, along with the

imprints Imprint or imprinting may refer to: Entertainment * ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series * "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror'' * ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film ...

Viva Editions and Tempted Romance, was purchased by Start Publishing, the book division of Start Media. The staff members of Cleis departed shortly after the transition. Cleis is currently run by Start Publishing in Jersey City, NJ.

References

External links

*
Interview with Cleis Press co-founders Frédérique Delacoste and Felice NewmanMinds.wisconsin.edu
{{Authority control Book publishing companies of the United States Book publishing companies based in Berkeley, California Book publishing companies based in California Feminism in the United States LGBTQ-related mass media in the United States Publishing companies established in 1980 Feminist book publishing companies