Benniefairy Books (pronounced ben-eh-fair-ee) is Portland, Oregon’s only Black-disabled-queer-owned publishing house. Founded by poet Camille T. McDaniel, Benniefairy Books prioritizes the perspectives of writers who are often overlooked by mainstream publishers.

We specifically amplify the voices of Black, queer, women, and disabled writers while uplifting our Indigenous, Latine, Asian, Middle Eastern, and Pacific Islander siblings. We use poetry as a weapon against White Supremacy. We believe in our words’ power to build resilience and foster radical change within our communities.

Benniefairy Books is named after McDaniel’s maternal great-grandmother—Elizabeth Benniefairy Young Bradix—who did it all, despite it all.

Mission

Benniefairy Books prioritizes the perspectives of writers from oppressed communities. We work against mainstream publishing’s exploitation of Black, Brown, queer, and disabled writers by empowering poets to tell their whole truth how they want to. We are more interested in community than capitalism. We are dedicated to uplifting our people, dismantling white supremacy, and writing toward a better world—one stanza at a time.

Vision

Poetry as documentary of personal and communal histories

Poetry as a tool in building personal and collective resilience

Poetry as a catalyst of radical change

Poetry as a threat

Poetry as a promise

Poetry as protection

Poetry as decolonization

Poetry as liberation

Future Offering and Projects

Guiding Lights:

• How can poetry bridge the gap between the emotional and physical work of liberation? How can we hold space for our community to grieve, learn, and dream, then be moved to take direct action?

• How can we use poetry and creative writing as tools to combat the growing literacy crisis?

• How can we use poetry and personal narrative to ensure that our ever-evolving histories are uncensored and documented for the generations to come?

Funding Breakdown:

-poet honorarium

-reading team honorarium

-cover design fee

-printing costs

-book launch event fees