ABOUT TORREY HOUSE PRESS
VOICES FOR THE LAND
OUR MISSION
Torrey House Press publishes books at the intersection of the literary arts and environmental advocacy. THP authors explore the diversity of human experiences and relationships with place. THP books create conversations about issues that concern the American West, landscape, literature, and the future of our ever-changing planet, inspiring action toward a more just world.
OUR VALUES
We believe that lively, contemporary literature is at the cutting edge of social change. We seek to inform, expand, and reshape the dialogue on environmental justice and stewardship for the natural world by elevating literary excellence from diverse voices.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
Torrey House Press stands with all people of color in our state, nation, and around the world in the protest against police brutality, white supremacy, systemic racism, racial capitalism, and all forms of violence inflicted upon people of color. We recognize that environmental justice is social justice and that we have a responsibility to incorporate social justice in our projects—from acquisitions to community conversations. Torrey House was established with the ultimate goal of keeping more grass on the mountains and more water in the streams. But we realize it’s not that simple—which mountains? whose water?—and that the celebrated voices of the environmental movement are majority white and male; they too often overlook the deep-seated histories, violent uprooting, and current disenfranchisement of communities of color, who carry their own rich stories, strong ties to landscape, resilient justice movements, and cultural complexities.
Torrey House Press was born of the white environmentalist movement. Our mission to shift cultural awareness of complex environmental issues is only possible if the stories of Black and Indigenous writers are published, heard, and amplified. Moving forward, we are working to elevate the voices of writers of color, whose communities are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis due to systemic environmental racism. We believe in the power of story to change hearts and minds, and are committed to serving as a platform for writers whose work engages deeply with place and expands and challenges the current conversation on environmental and social justice. As we work to elevate and amplify codes and stories from people of color in THP’s operations, we recognize the need to create and commit to specific initiatives for change. Our environmental justice goals include actively seeking people of color for internships, publishing at least one writer of color each catalog season, actively seeking partnerships with organizations led by and serving marginalized people, and reading and sharing work by writers of color. We welcome suggestions, introductions, and input, and will post our progress on the Torrey House Press blog as these initiatives take shape.