June Updates: Virtual Retreat All Access Pass, Preorder CHABÓCHI DOLL, and an Extended Deadline for the Book Award Fiction Prize for QTBIPOC Writers!!
Happy Pride! Join us in supporting Queer and Trans writers!
PREORDER CHABÓCHI DOLL
Pre orders are officially open for our FIRST EVER FULL LENGTH title: CHABÓCHI DOLL by féi iká shumarí! Grab your copy here!
CHABÓCHI DOLL is the trans homegirl that keeps it real and doesn’t fear cracking citizenship by the neck.
Part auto-fiction, part manifesto, féi iká shumarí’s CHABÓCHI DOLL snaps the present moment in America tainted by the persecution of undocumented and native bodies, extensive trans legislation seeking to seize the livelihood of trans people, all while negotiating the radicalness of her joy and two-spirited embodiment, when confronted with a brain tumor diagnosis.
With laughable sass, switchblade precision, and exquisite analysis, these coming-of-age-at-thirty essays turn womanhood, citizenship, and disability on their head. From a confrontation with TSA to sexual escapades with Ethical Fuckboys, these essays weave us through the multi-layered reality of a woman unwilling to surrender. Whether it’s critiquing the faulty strategies of citizen activists or differentiating a drag queen from a trans woman, shumarí does it with exquisite generosity, fists squared up, and a whole lot of eye rolling.
PRAISE FOR CHABÓCHI DOLL
“CHABÓCHI DOLL troubles the topography of womanhood through Trans Possibility & Undocumented archive making. Her essays are delightfully ‘long-winded interrogations’ & ‘anthropological approach to discovering what trauma still plagues’ feels more conversational than calculated. Confrontation wears lipstick. Indigeneity sings in primary hues. Narrative is collaged to frame the realities of the world. The world is ‘brighter & sweeter’ with féi iká shumarí existing in her nuance.”
—Jzl Jmz, Local Woman
“CHABÓCHI DOLL models literary self-love and community care. With this book, féi iká shumari has gifted us good medicine.”
—Myriam Gurba, Poppy State: A Labyrinth of Plants and a Story of Beginnings
“With sensuous lyricism, CHABÓCHI DOLL reckons with womanhood, theorizes the 2020s fuckboy, troubles the ghosts of statehood, and keeps going further. féi iká shumarí’s luminescent voice is both breezy and biting as she invites readers into soft imaginaries only to check your reality and ‘facilitate your undoing.’ I am undone.”
—Benedict Nguyễn, Hot Girls with Balls
Releasing July 1, 2026. Preorder your copy here!
DEADLINE EXTENDED: Book Award Fiction Prize for QTBIPOC Writers!
The deadline is now extended until June 30th, 2026. Thank you to everyone who has submitted and we can't wait to read your submissions!
For our first ever full-length fiction prize, Abode Press is looking to acquire fiction short story collections or novels written by people of color who are queer and/or trans. We want work that is voice driven, sparks social change, reminds us of home, and defies genre. We are especially interested in works that are haunting, that have a strong sense of place, that are queer, radical, and genre defiant. Some of the editorial teams favorite authors who do this remarkably well are Octavia Butler, Mariana Enriquez, Carmen Maria Machado, Toni Morrison, and Rivers Solomon. We also love when work is inspired from theorists, such as Audre Lorde and Saidiya Hartman.
The book award fiction prize is open until June 30th. We cannot wait to read your work. Guidelines and submission info here!
VIRTUAL RETREAT ALL ACCESS LECTURE PASS
Starting June 5th, we are welcoming nearly 60 writers to our Virtual Retreat program, who will have access to 2 to 3 craft talks, panels, and seminars all month long.
Unlock the full experience of the 2026 Abode Press Virtual Retreat with our All Access Lecture Pass — your invitation to every lecture, craft talk, panel, open mic, and special event throughout the retreat for non-enrolled participants. This pass gives you exclusive access to an unforgettable lineup of visionary presenters, award-winning authors, and transformative conversations centered on craft, creativity, justice, performance, publishing, and community building.
View a sneak peek of all descriptions of events here.
With your pass, you’ll attend live virtual sessions featuring:
Ariana Brown
Saúl Hernández
Camille U. Adams
Annell López
Benedict Nguyễn
Aimée Okotie-Oyekan & Rasheena Fountain
Luc Le
Jazz Bell
Icess Fernandez Rojas
Aerik Francis, Noel Quiñones, Jessica Nirvana Ram, Danielle Toosie-Watson
mónica teresa ortiz, Maya Salameh, Fatima-Ayan Malika Hirsi, Ashia Ajani
Explore sessions on spoken word and performance poetry, revision, postmemory and diaspora, disability justice, anti-imperialist poetics, liminal writing, environmental storytelling, publishing community, and more.
What’s Included:
Zoom links to all virtual retreat lectures, panels, seminars, and craft talks
A Google Drive folder with all recordings to all sessions for up to 60 days after 6/28
Four community open mic nights
Closed captioning for accessibility
A chance to connect with an inspiring community of writers and artists
Join us for a month of creativity, conversation, and transformative writing experiences! Passes can be bought here!
WELCOME OUR VIRTUAL RETREAT COHORTS
We are excited to welcome five cohorts of talented writers to study under Ariana Brown (Poetry), Saúl Hernández (Poetry), Camille U. Adams (Nonfiction), Annell López (Short Fiction), and Benedict Nguyễn (Novel).
Welcome us in congratulating our fellows below!
Abode Staff News!
We want to take a moment to acknowledge accomplishments in the Abode Press family.
Our Founder, Diamond Braxton, is the 2026 Residency Fellow for the Black and/or Indigenous Writers for SAFTA!
Christina Anne Guieb Brown graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing.
Angela Heiser has a poem in Clackamas Literary Review.
Divine Byrd was offered a Virginia Center for the Creative Art’s Residency.
Congratulations to these Abode staff members!! Learn more about them on our Masthead page.
Thank you, as always, for your support! We love you!