'Too weird for bookstores:' Press Play brings radical indie publishing back to Red Hook Dec. 13-14 * Brooklyn Paper

"For two days, Red Hook will once again become the center of New York's experimental publishing scene as Pioneer Works hosts its sixth annual "Press Play" fair, an independent celebration of books, music, art and cultural risk-taking. Running Dec. 13-14, the fair has grown into one of the borough's most anticipated year-end events, drawing hundreds of visitors who come not just to browse but to immerse themselves in the spirit of creativity that defines Brooklyn's underground."

"Founded in a DIY spirit and still shaped by it, Press Play has grown into a sprawling ecosystem. This year's edition features more than 130 exhibitors - stretching from staple-bound basement zines to respected literary heavyweights - along with workshops, performances and conversations that extend far beyond the traditional book fair. The result is a space that champions the strange and wildly ambitious."

"Exhibitors this year explore a broad theme of desire - from "banned Pakistani erotica to experimental to gooning to Silvia Federici on collective refusal. We're talking about things other book fairs are afraid to talk about," Durand said. That willingness to tackle the uncomfortable is also what makes Press Play indispensable to the publishing community. Independent presses, Durand emphasized, "are chronically underfunded and struggling to exist in an ecosystem dominated by corporations."

Press Play returns to Red Hook for two days of experimental publishing, music, and art at Pioneer Works. The fair hosts over 130 exhibitors, ranging from staple-bound basement zines to established literary presses, alongside workshops, performances, and conversations. The program emphasizes necessity-driven creativity and cultural risk-taking, showcasing work that exists because someone had to make it rather than because it will sell. Thematic programming this year centers on desire and includes provocative material from banned erotica to political texts on collective refusal. The fair functions as an essential platform for underfunded independent presses and risky cultural intervention.

Read at Brooklyn Paper