a phoenix-based, phoenix-focused publishing project that creates collaboratively-designed, hand-made, limited-run books by undersung local authors/artists.
we recognize that we live and operate on the settler occupied lands of the akimel o’odham [pima] and pee posh [maricopa] indian communities.
we are committed to exploring how creative approaches to bookmaking [both in print and digitally] can foster cultural cross-pollination, constructive disruption, and community [re]creation.
who and how we publish is central to our politics.
increased access is central to our ethics, and we price our books accordingly. all our titles are available for free digitally, and many include streamable audio files.
we do not use social media, and we exclusively use free software to design our books, website, and ephemera.
we aren't a non-profit. we aren't a for-profit. we just make books and we share them.
our definition of "book" is loose at best, and we expect it to continue shifting. we welcome the flux.
all of our books are available with sliding scale pricing by email at fiikbooks@gmail.com. most of our titles can also be purchased at palabras bilingual bookstore.
in the summer of 2019. ryan greene was working on making a bilingual zine out of chawa magaña's poem "america, you've got a lot of work to do" [which is inspired by the collection "sucede que yo soy américa" edited by nicole ceclia delgado at la impresora]. when ryan asked chawa what they should call the zine, she shrugged and said "f*%k if i know..." naturally, her zine became "F*%K IF I KNOW: VOL. 1" and the snowball that became F*%K IF I KNOW//BOOKS began to roll. ryan [in collaboration with co-conspirators mary hope and claudia] has continued to bring subsequent FIIK//BOOKS volumes to life, and chawa has continued to provide a home for them at palabras bilingual bookstore.
mary hope whitehead lee, claudia nuñez de ibieta, & ryan greene [co-conspirators]
F*%K IF I KNOW//BOOKS is a fundamentally collaborative project. all of our authors/artists/translators are involved in the process of imagining, designing, and producing our books.
the tangible, material, and moral support of several individuals and organizations, including [but not limited to]:
-chawa magaña, who wrote what would become "F*%K IF I KNOW: VOL. 1" and believed in the project before it had even taken shape. she has continued to stock our books at palabras bilingual bookstore, while providing space for FIIK authors/artists to scheme, produce, and release their work.
-cardboard house press, which has brought so many members of the FIIK family together. ryan learned to make books for the first time with giancarlo and maggie from cardboard house press, and later met several FIIK authors/artists/translators through the cardboard house press cartonera collective. CHP's support, mentorship, and encouragement have been boundless.
-mary hope whitehead lee, claudia nuñez de ibieta, and raquel denis, who have been true, true friends: unflagging in their shared belief, patient in lending their eyes/ears, and honest in their feedback.
countless independent/small/alternative presses, diy/dit publishing projects, cartonera publishers, individual bookmakers, tabling zinesters, and more. here is just a partial list:
-cardboard house press, antena aire, action books, la impresora, anomalous press, asymptote, tripwire journal, atarraya cartonera, eloisa cartonera, cactus del viento, 2.0.1.2. editorial, 2.0.1.3. editorial, yaxkin melchy, jocelyn samayoa, prickly pear printing, taller leñateros, etc., etc., etc.
"i know the beak can be jarring. i assure you, though, that it's not meant to be morbid, gruesome, etc. it's on the front page of this website because it points to an emblematic "f*%k if I know" moment. i was living in the smallest U.S. state on a three-letter street whose total length extended one block. while walking one morning, i came across this bird beak on the corner. i had no idea what to make of it. there was no blood in sight, no feathers to be found. WHO DOES THIS SORT OF THING TO A BIRD AND LEAVES NO TRACE? a cat? a hawk?? sid from toy story??? i was confused, distressed, and, frankly, entranced. over the next several days, i continued to look for clues each time i passed the beak on the sidewalk. finally, in a frenzied moment of determination, i got down on my hands and knees to investigate the situation more closely. after crawling and squinting for what felt like forever, i found my first [and final] clue — another bird beak." -- RG