MERCANARY™, a sells-word inspired by a typo, is a metafictional hero who’s been drafted for lit’s sake on land, sea, and air. His mission? Word.
David Reynolds hasn’t won any awards for his creative writing, but his most shocking anecdote has won him more beer than he could possibly ever drink. He lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, where he teaches English at Atlantic Canada’s largest university.
In the words of the author: “This is a gonzo picaresque novel. It’s a work of intermedial metafiction. It’s a cautionary tale. It’s a sob story. It’s a farcical melodrama. It is high art. It adapts a ‘zine of poetry and adventure. It adapts a memeoem, which is literally a new poetic art form that I invented for this. It is the culmination of my life’s work in literature. It’s ballsy and hubristic and vulnerable all at once. The protagonist is an anti-hero. The sidekick is really something else. The odds are against them, but they’re in this to win it. Together, they make things weird. Well, this thing is certainly weird.”
The author expresses his deepest thanks to his family and friends for their love and support throughout the writing process.
He thanks everyone who purchased a copy of the original ‘zine
He also thanks everyone who purchased items from his childhood collection of treasures to help fund this print run of books.
If you aren’t in the area, you can still order copies of The Marvelous Saga of the MERCANARY™ as print and Kindle editions here.
It was a beautiful day when Girly Muckle and the Queer Hands stormed into The Battery Cafe.
That’s right!
Bernardine Ann Teráz Stapleton’s Girly Muckle and the Queer Hands has been launched into the æther, where the curious can find her.
Readers joined us there for drinks and treats while the author delivered an enchanting introduction to Girly Muckle and her besties. A delightful time was had by all within earshot.
For readers in St. John’s, NL, we now offer curbside pick-up ordering from our office located downtown. Details can be found at the Square site.
Girly Muckle and the Queer Hands on the ShelfThe author and the artist
Bernardine Ann Teráz Stapleton is an author, a playwright, a performer, and an absolute treasure with the voice of a tempest.
Born in North West River and raised in Marystown, her connections to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador resonate throughout her works.
Her plays are regularly produced across the province, and her previous books include the award-winning They Let Down Baskets (Killick Press), Rants, Riffs and Roars (Creative Book Publishing), and This is the Cat (Creative Book Publishing). Her creative memoir, Love, Life, is forthcoming from Breakwater Books.
Nicole Leona Smith is an emerging visual artist who divides her time between Newfoundland and her home in Cambridge, Ontario. Her illustrations are simply delightful.
Until now, she has been best known for her writing and her work in theatre.
She is also drafting her first novel with support from the Ontario Arts Council.
Problematic Press is an independent publisher based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Get the latest news about our growing selection of titles at problematicpress.com.
Problematic Press is pleased to announce we have signed a new partnership with EBSCO Information Services.
Through this new deal, all past and future Problematic Press titles will be easily accessible through libraries all over the globe.
This is because “EBSCO is the leading provider of research databases, e-journals, magazine subscriptions, e-books and discovery service to libraries of all kinds.”
Curious about EBSCO? Learn more from this short video.
Otherwise, at this stage, Problematic Press can think beyond the local markets, knowing our titles can be read all over. This excites us greatly! That’s a fact.
And, if you’re daring to consider the writerly life for yourself, then allow us to alert you to our present CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS.
Problematic Press is a modest operation with limited resources. Our aim is to publish 1-2 books per year going forward.
Our titles are published as paperbacks and ebooks that are distributed through retailers and libraries both online and around the world.
Problematic Press is pleased to make this call for submissions.
Highlighted Details
DEADLINE: Open and ongoing, so submit whenever.
We are interested in fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.
Final drafts should be 20,000-39,999 words.
Responses will be sent to applicants within two months.
Read the rest of this post thoroughly to get the details.
Find the link to the submission form at the bottom of this post.
We invite pitches from interested authors with titles intended for future publication, generally within the next year or two.
Provided the writing demonstrates exceptional mastery of English, we are open to considering original works from any person residing anywhere within Canada and legally entitled to work and earn income within Canada. However, we very much prefer to work with local creators in the St. John’s region of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. This preference is stated outright.
Understand that any licensing agreement that may result from submitting your pitch represents an investment in you as well as your book. Beyond that, you must maintain a public persona that the publisher is excited to endorse. Liabilities will not be tolerated.
Expect this process to be lengthy, rigorous, and arduous. Our authors and artists thrive when challenged, and they have the dedication and patience required to persevere.
Before and after publication, all authors and artists are encouraged to pursue external funding opportunities, such as federal, provincial, and municipal grants. The timing of such opportunities will have an impact on the timeline of publication. That is understandable, and we are flexible enough to work within such a schedule for our grant-winning authors.
If this sounds thrilling to you, then dare to proceed.
Otherwise, turn back now, saving each of us a lot of time.
Problematic Press embodies the way of the MERCANARY™, our trademark sells-word chimæra.
In that spirit, we are excited to receive pitches for book-length works (20,000 words to 39,999 words in length) in a variety of genres.
The key to a winning pitch is that it is high-quality, daring excitement, but — above all — it must be an achievable goal for each of us, from revising to editing to promotion to publication and to promotion again.
Be realistic.
Do you feel up for it?
Do not pitch a series.
Do you have a completed draft of your manuscript?
No?
Turn back now.
Yes?
You may continue.
Do you still feel up for it?
Good.
This is a test.
You are encouraged to come to this well-prepared.
Consider gaining experience and levelling up before you continue.
If you’re still here, you’re doing well.
MERCANARY™ approves.
What Problematic Press Wants
Problematic Press is only interested in pitches for hitherto unpublished anywhere original works of literature, and we are happy to consider such original works that fall within or near the following areas:
💥 substantial poetry (as in a collection of poems, a lengthy narrative poem, an epic, etc.);
💥 literary short fiction collections;
💥 sci-fi and fantasy short fiction collections;
💥 genre-bending short fiction collections;
💥 literary novellas;
💥 sci-fi and fantasy novellas;
💥 wuxia action novellas;
💥 retro-present novellas;
💥 retro-future novellas;
💥 pulp-styled space operas as novellas;
💥 cyber-noir detective novellas;
💥 kaiju conflict novellas;
💥 fit-to-print erotic novellas;
💥 genre-bending novellas;
💥 and, high seas adventure novellas.
Remember: do not pitch a series. Check yourself before you wreck yourself, right?
Before completing the submission form linked below, take the time to collect your materials and make this the best pitch that you can muster.
Touch up that draft you have there, think about how to best frame your pitch, dream of the writerly life, and then update your resume (or C.V.).
Your courage has brought you this far. If you feel brave enough to take the next step, then follow the link and scroll past the familiar to find The Form of Your Submission.
Either way, Problematic Press appreciates your interest and wishes you the best of luck with your writing adventure!
Indeed, as the gift-giving season approaches, consider how those you love might love to receive one of our books!
What’s that you say? “Shut up about the holidays; it’s too early for all that now,” you say. Well, with online ordering you have to think about shipping and potential delays, and we wouldn’t want anything to come between your loved ones and the Problematic Press title(s) they have their hearts set on!
So, no matter what you choose to celebrate or refuse to celebrate, Problematic Press has a special little something for your special little someone!
Subtle and charming, bright and playful, The True Story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff: The Troll’s Side of the Story reimagines the classic tale to reflect on the perspective of the kind troll who falls prey to the prejudice of the eldest goat Gruff. Illustrations by Myles Reichel give this tale life. Plus, this edition also includes Sir George Webbe Dasent‘s translation of the classic folktale. This book is best suited for adults reading to young children, for early readers, and for all of us children-at-heart.
Deep beneath the scarred and scorched surface of the Earth, the last of us remain.
The Cavern is deep, dark, and damp. The city is busy, expansive, industrious. Technology has been salvaged, scavenged from the surface, and repurposed to a new fashion. Survival comes in the form of the shunt, drilled deep into the skull. A device that takes all the pain away, and lays it on the shoulders of one poor soul.
The Sufferer. An old man, dying beneath the tree of tears. And when his heart breaks, it will spell doom for us all.
Nicholas Morine was born and raised in Gaspereau, Nova Scotia. Words are his livelihood. He has written many words on a range of subjects, from tech to fashion. Having returned to Nova Scotia, he continues to write non-fiction and fiction. Montag Press published his debut novel, Punish the Wicked: A Dystopian Horror. Problematic Press is proud to present Cavern: City in the Dark, his second novel.
Robert Hayman’s Quodlibets, Lately Come over from New Britaniola, Old Newfoundland is a collection of witty, poetic verses that were penned while he served as governor in colonial Harbour Grace, Newfoundland between 1618 and 1628. His is likely the first English poetry penned in North America.
And, his work is quite impressive. Containing original poetry as well as his translations of pieces by John Owen and Francois Rabelais, Quodlibets reflects on thieves and knaves, good wives and whores, as well as the untamed beauty of Newfoundland. Hayman’s poetry exposes his love for Newfoundland, inviting the adventurous and hopeful to settle this rock. The language for this edition has been updated by David Reynolds to facilitate reading for modern audiences yet preserve the poetic voice of the author.
While playing a silly game, four bored yachtsmen find a mysterious copper cylinder bobbing along the sea. They soon discover the briny cylinder contains a massive script, a journal of sorts, detailing the adventures of Adam More, a sailor lost at sea. Examining the script reveals More’s incredible story of drifting across the ocean, sailing to lost lands, encountering giant beasts, and meeting truly peculiar people. This satirical tale is sure to entertain!
De Mille was a Canadian scholar and author. He pioneered Canadian science fiction and fantasy with his masterpiece, A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder. De Mille had many lofty goals for his fantastic satire, and he struggled to accommodate all of them, leaving the denouement somewhat abrupt in his ultimate manuscript. Nevertheless, what remains is a thought-provoking tale of absurd wonder that seeks to challenge our most deeply held values. The story was first published posthumously as a serial by Harper’s Weekly in 1888, eight years after the author’s death.
The Problematic Press edition of James De Mille’s A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder features a Foreword and Annotations by David Reynolds. Reynolds briefly introduces the author and the novel while his end notes reflect on interesting elements of the text and reference scholarly works.
Vester Vade Mecum: A Collection of Short Fiction is a collection to delight educators and pupils alike. It contains a variety of important short works of English literature, featuring authors such as Mary Shelley, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, Louisa May Alcott, Oscar Wilde, Arthur Conan Doyle, Pauline Hopkins, Stephen Leacock, Howard Phillips Lovecraft, and others. Edited by David Reynolds, the text contains contextual information about each author and story as well as questions to provoke critical reflection.
Vester Vade Mecum is a Latin phrase that means “you go with me.” As the title of this textbook, that phrase carries multiple meanings. It indicates that this is a manual that mindful students will carry with them in their studies. In relation to the enduring nature of great stories, the title alludes that these are tales we often recall in our own reflections. In relation to the nature of storytelling, it suggests how the author leads the reader along their journey.
Superheroes: An Analysis of Popular Culture’s Modern Myths by David Reynolds is a semiotic and cultural anthropological interrogation of popular North American superhero narratives, such as those of Superman, Spider-Man, and Batman, that provides insight into how media’s messages influence the culture’s ethical values. Since emerging in the late 1930s, the superhero has become a pervasive figure in North American popular culture. As an extension of ideas presented by Friedrich Nietzsche, Joseph Campbell, and Umberto Eco, this dissertation argues that superhero tales must be regarded as modern mythology. It follows that people observe and learn social norms of justice from such narratives, since these ideals are intrinsic to the tales. In investigating the superhero’s role as a contemporary figure of myth, this project focuses primarily on three areas: an account of the history of the superhero from 1938 to present; an examination of the cultural functions of contemporary superhero narratives; and, an interrogation of vigilantism, responsibility, and justice in these narratives and how those concerns further relate to ideologies and practices in North American culture.
If you aren’t in the St. John’s region of Newfoundland and Labrador, then you can find print and Kindle copies of our titles online from the Problematic Press Shops (CAN and US). Otherwise, you might find us pushing books with a table at the St. John’s Farmers’ Market. We hope to see you there!
From all of us at Problematic Press to all of you, we hope your holiday season is full of joy and merriment… and reading!
