New Book Release
On Distance by Emily Ahmed
Blending myth and modernity, these poems explore myth-making, love, and the search for home. Ahmed reminds us that stories are life-saving acts of meaning-making, myths we return to for empathy and guidance.
“There are lines that glitter in this collection. This book introduces an exciting new voice to our literary landscape.”
-E. Ethelbert Miller, Writer and literary activist, 2023 Grammy Award Finalist in the category of Spoken Word and Poetry
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Our Mission
Elyssar Press is an independent publishing company that provides a platform for both emerging and established writers and poets from around the world. Our publications span poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, children’s books, and anthologies. With a commitment to championing diverse voices, celebrating individuality, and embracing cultural richness, Elyssar Press believes stories have the power to connect us all.
Explore Our Books
Salt Oracle by Ivonne Gordon is a poignant bilingual (Spanish and English) poetry collection and a masterwork of ecopoetics that delves into the profound connections between the earth, home, and the ancestral memory embedded within the human body.
Through evocative language and vivid imagery, Gordon explores how our physical selves intertwine with the environment—celebrating the body's movement and grace and the dreams that bridge the divide of human existence. This collection serves as a testament to the enduring power of poetry to illuminate the complexities of life and the human spirit.
This book is ideal for readers who appreciate introspective poetry that intertwines personal narrative with broader existential themes, offering both solace and insight.
Format: Paperback
Language: English & Spanish
Length: 103 pages
ISBN: 9798985368666
Discover Gratitude Haiku by Rae Berg, a collection pairing soulful photography of Southern California with haiku reflections on surviving the pandemic.
Written by a retired pastor embracing a "less is more" philosophy, this book is both a poetic sanctuary and an invitation for you to find your own voice.
Explore the healing
power of haiku and learn
to capture life's beauty.
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Length: 210 pages
ISBN: 979-8-9898850-0-8
Alter Alter by Toti O'Brien is a captivating collection of short stories that seamlessly blend the real and the surreal, delving into themes of childhood, displacement, estrangement, and the multifaceted nature of identity.
Structured into seven distinct sections, each narrative navigates altered states of being—ranging from neurodivergence and mental illness to love, death, and sisterhood—offering a profound exploration of otherness and the human experience.
O'Brien's prose invites readers into a world where the boundaries between reality and imagination blur, encouraging introspection and a deeper understanding of the self and others.
This book is ideal for readers who appreciate introspective and experimental fiction that challenges conventional narratives and delves into the complexities of identity and human connection.
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Length: 514 pages
ISBN: 979-8-9853686-8-0
The Beirut Call: Harnessing Creativity for Change is an anthology of essays, poems, artwork, and photographs from over 20 contributors who explore the concepts of devastation and resilience. When the Beirut port exploded on August 4, 2020, it shattered more than buildings and homes: it reopened wounds, grief, and fears that many had experienced during the long and brutal Lebanese civil war. Loss of life reached the hundreds, and injuries numbered in the thousands. More than 300,000 people were left homeless. In addition to this devastation, the people experienced the loss and destruction of parts of its art center, including the Sursock Museum, the Arab Image Foundation, the Sfeir-Semler Gallery, and the Beirut Art Center.
How does the act of witnessing hardship and molding powerful art change the landscape of local and global hardship? In this anthology, over 20 voices come together to explore this question and challenge the notion of resilience itself.
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Length: 236 pages
ISBN: 978-1-7334529-7-7
Experience a visceral journey from West Oakland to West Africa (WO2WA).
Black Rootedness is a landmark Pan-African poetry anthology that bridges centuries of separation to foster a meaningful dialogue between 54 poets from Africa and America in the Renshi poetry method. Curated by Karla Brundage with an introduction by Rashidah Ismaili, this collection is the culmination of international workshops designed to explore the vibrant exchange between Africa and the African Diaspora.
A Narrative of Healing and Sankofa
At the heart of this spoken word and creative writing collection is the concept of Sankofa—the intentional return to retrieve narratives that have been forgotten or lost. By centering Black healing and growth, these poems provide an uncensored critique of social systems while celebrating the strength of women and the resilience of cultural identity.
The Impact of Pan-African Literature and Diaspora Narratives
Connecting the Diaspora: From the streets of West Oakland to the shores of West Africa, these voices navigate the shared experiences of the foreigner, the returnee, and the neo-African. Through an experimentation of styles, these poets deliver an authentic and innovative form of contemporary lyricism that redefines international, cross-cultural relationships and Afrocentric expression.
This collection of Sankofa poetry serves as a vital resource for African Studies, social justice advocates, and those interested in the role of art in decolonizing poetry.
Black Rootedness is more than a book; it is a holistic partnership between Americans and the world—a safe space where honesty and pride strive to shape the future of Pan-African literature.
54 Poets from Africa to America
Black Rootedness spans from West Oakland to West Africa (WO2WA) and provides a sustained exchange to connect members of the African Diaspora and Africa through creative writing. Our core values are to create a safe place for the transparent healing and growth of Black people; to deliver innovative and authentic forms of writing and to engage the medium of spoken word to shape and define the narratives of the Diaspora; and to allow a visceral and uncensored critique of social systems through artistic expression. Our goal is to facilitate Sankofa, a return to retrieve what has been forgotten or lost. By doing so, we hope to continue to promote Afrocentric approaches to international and cross-cultural relationships that support holistic partnerships between Americans and the world around us. — Karla Brundage
The anthology is a culmination of workshops in Africa and America featuring 54 poets from Africa to America, include shared experiences of foreigner/returnee, neo-African, borrower of phrases, and experimenter of styles that shape—and will continue to shape—the vibrant exchange between Africa and the Diaspora. Poetry is an artistic vehicle that allows this to happen with humility and pride; honesty and fear strive for a way to establish a meaningful dialogue after centuries of separation. — Rashidah Ismaili
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Length: 312 pages
ISBN: 9798985368635
News & Blog
For readers interested in literature exploring themes of belonging, heritage, and family, we have curated a list of five poetry works by women who challenge us to engage with our current moment in revolutionary ways.
Emily Ahmed's debut poetry collection, On Distance (Elyssar Press, 2026), offers a bridge somewhere between "leaving and being left."
Alter Alter by Toti O'Brien knows that true mysteries require silence more than spectacle, and the metaphysical here is rendered with remarkable restraint.
The book launch for Alter Alter by Toti O'Brien discusses the impossibility of truth, vulnerability, and characters who experience altered states of consciousness.
If you read Black Rootedness or are interested in how poetry can be a bridge, then you’re in luck because Karla Brundage has taken the book on the road.
On Distance: Myth, Memory, and Belonging
A decade in the making, this debut collection navigates the geography of the human heart and the complexities of the Egyptian American experience.
On Distance by Emily Ahmed is a luminous debut that documents a ten-year evolution of thought, beginning in the formative years of adolescence and culminating in a sophisticated coming-of-age meditation. Ahmed’s work is a deeply introspective project that utilizes language as a tool for "meaning-making," transforming scattered reflections into a cohesive study of self and survival.
Blending Myth and Egyptian American Identity
At the center of this collection is the concept of modern myth-making as it relates to the Arab American diaspora. Ahmed suggests that the stories we tell ourselves, those that are rooted in both ancestral heritage and modern reality, are essential acts of survival. By weaving ancient archetypes into her contemporary settings through poetry, she explores the distance between heritage and home and the search for a permanent "belonging.”
A study of the tension between isolated loneliness and the restorative power of communal solitude, Ahmed’s verse offers a striking clarity, illuminating the literal and figurative distances we live and love through.
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Length: 67 pages
ISBN: 979-8-9898850-2-2