Āporo Press is bad apple‘s associated micro-press established and run by Damien Levi. We aim to publish works by minority voices in Aotearoa New Zealand and fill gaps in the market left unaddressed by major publishing houses.
Spoiled Fruit: Queer Poetry from Aotearoa (2023) is the first titled published by Āporo Press, edited by Damien Levi and Amber Esau.
Due to the nature of independent publishing, Āporo Press has a limited capability for considering submissions as we have strictly limited funds. If you are interested in publishing with us, however, we are open to considering your work. Please email aporo.press@gmail.com. We thank you for your patience in waiting for our reply.
Spoiled Fruit: Queer Poetry from Aotearoa
Spoiled Fruit is the debut title from micro press Āporo Press. This collection gathers 20 queer poets from across Aotearoa, compiles work largely first published on bad apple and asks these poets to reflect upon their work to create new pieces. Emerging from this introspection are themes of growth, evolution, change and transition. Like spoiled fruit fallen and left to rot, new growth emerges.
Edited by Damien Levi and Amber Esau.
Contributions from Nicola Andrews, kī anthony, kate aschoff, Jo Bragg, Cadence Chung, Rhys Feeney, Ted Greensmith-West, Haukupu, Kyra Lawler, Rex Letoa Paget, Casey Lucas, Ivy Lyden-Hancy, Amy Marguerite, Jackson McCarthy, Hannah Patterson, Ngaio Simmons, sylvan spring, El Spurlock, Fetūolemoana Tamapeau and Laura Vincent.
“The dazzling ensemble of emerging poets in this survey of queer Aotearoa writing peel back the thick, thorny skin of modern life to reveal a subversive flesh below the surface. From pop culture fantasies to the perpetual violence of colonisation, this poetic harvest will leave your fingers sticky and chins coated in sweet and sour juice. This isn’t your typical fruit basket.”
Chris Tse
“How often do we get to see the queer poet develop, to see their fruit rot into beauty? This collection gives us a cornucopia of queer writing that captures us in a state of flux, acts as a showcase of each contributor’s fantastic range. bad apple has been doing the gay lord’s work online and now we have this taonga to hold in our hands. Stinking good writing; may the world be made pungent with these words.”
essa may ranapiri
Spoiled Fruit can be purchased from most independent bookstores in Aotearoa, or purchased online via BookHub.
If you wish to stock Spoiled Fruit, please contact Expensive Hobby at hello@expensivehobby.org or through their website.
Media for Spoiled Fruit
‘Ten things creating our first book taught us about independent publishing’, The Spinoff, 9/11/2023
‘The “very capitalistic” way this editor and publisher approaches wellbeing’, The Post, 8/11/2023
‘Juicy Spoiled Fruit!’, The Pantograph Punch, 9/11/2023
‘Poetry Shelf Postcards 2023 by 14 Poets’, NZ Poetry Shelf, 23/11/23
Marrow & Other Stories
By sloane hong
Marrow & Other Stories brings together a collection of short comics by Sloane Hong into print for the first time. Although varied in content, each story explores how we relate to each other and the world around us—through grief, love and our innate curiosity of the unknown.
Plagued with intrigue and often unsettling, these gloriously stylish panels peel back layers of the human psyche, exposing them, throbbing and pulsating, for all to see.
Sloane Hong (she/her) is a Korean tauiwi illustrator, comic artist and tattooer rumoured to lurk somewhere deep within the agonising, suburban sprawl of Aotearoa. The LGBTQIA+ journal, bad apple, claims that she was a founding member of their publication and helped develop their creative direction. Meanwhile, further evidence of her existence has also previously been uncovered in The Spinoff, The New York Times, Death in the Mouth: Original Horror from the Margins and Spoiled Fruit: Queer Poetry from Aotearoa.
Marrow & Other Stories is forthcoming and due for publication in April 2024. Please email aporo.press@gmail.com for any enquiries.
