Press
| 01.16.2025 | “Deany-Braun started the program several years ago. His hope was to reignite people's love and passion for reading books. ‘Reading as a creative act,’ Deany-Braun said. ‘What a book does—what it can do—is slow us down. And in that slowness, it allows the mind to animate.’” KUSA 9news |
| 09.30.2024 | “The writer is nothing without the reader, so reading has always been a creative act,” says Deany-Braun, who has a master’s degree in creative writing and poetics. “You’re essential to how a work makes meaning, and you’re bringing your own art and attitude to it.” NOCO Style |
| 06.27.2024 | “I’ve been approaching this opportunity to practice one of the strategies we use in schools called DEAR (Drop Everything And Read). I put all technology or distractions away and devote myself to the words on the page.” CSU English Dept |
| 03.06.2024 | “Who among us hasn’t wished that they could get paid to just sit and read for a little while? No strings, no work-related tasks involved—just good old fashioned American currency in exchange for reading a book of your choosing, for pleasure.” LitHub |
| 03.04.2024 | "Having gone through undergrad and grad school... there was that constant drive to show that you understand. To make something of your understanding. I'm like, you know what, we kind of just need understanding. We don't always need proof of it." Shelf Awareness |
| 02.28.2024 | “Perelandra’s reader-in-residence combines the solitude of the original residency tradition with the community engagement of contemporary ones, into a position that’s physically out in public, but mentally tucked away in a good book.” The Colorado Sun |
Three Pillars of Resistance
to the Hegemonic Logics of Marketability, Prediction, and the Machine
Genre / Diversity – When genre is reimagined, the physical geography of a bookstore changes. New, hybrid genres are no less identifiable than conventional ones, and an abundance of genres—like species—leads to more diverse, particular, and distinct dynamics: the stuff of evolution.
Order / Discernment – Conventional wisdom holds that the best way to find particular titles is to keep them alphabetized (by author). Yes, and: there are other ways to conceive territory and discern value. Differential sequencing treats books as more than the sum of their authors’ identities.
Inventory / Agency – We log sales independently from transactions, so orders and re-orders are never automatic; even perennial favorites are considered against an evolving ecosystem of literature. This also means that we do not surveil your literary decisions, but rather respect and celebrate them.
Mission
To recognize the essential fluidity and kinship of literary genre.
To model and mobilize literary heterogeneity.
To steward embodied connections with literary spaces.
Vision
A resilient and participatory wilderness of literature.
The Reader in Residence
“Combines the solitude of the original residency tradition with the community engagement of contemporary ones, into a position that’s physically out in public, but mentally tucked away in a good book.” — The Colorado Sun
The Reader in Residence serves a three-month tenure in which they simply read—not aloud, but to themself—at the bookshop. In this setting, the reader hones their attention while making literary engagement visible and relevant. They receive a stipend for both sustenance and books. Learn more about the residents and philosophy below.
2025
Mary Thomas
Jeff Icenhower
Shawn Bowman - "A smorgasbord of curiosities"
2024
Steve Shafer - "Mouth shut, mind open"
Ricki Ginsberg - "Drop everything and read"
Sam Cranshaw
Matthew Schlief - "Where I get to escape"
2023
Kristy Beachy-Quick - "On learning to read: Proust"
Kristy Leushen
Danielle Parker
Matt Wood
Frankie Rollins
Callahan Woodbery - "Re-reading as re-membering"
2022
Brandi Thomas - "Reading like an animal"
Jeff Chelf - "The pricelessness of personhood"
Elaine Wall
Seth Braverman - "The seed that falls"
Kayla Redd
John Newman
Tobias Bank - "This changes everything"
Kathleen Willard
Lucia Hall
Erica Reid
2021
Rico Lighthouse - "Meaning is what surrounds"
Julia Goolsby - "The diversity of change"
John Flynn - "Time does the deepening"
Robin Walter - "Calling out to ourselves"
Jason Hardung - "The burden of honest work"
Reading is art.
Readers play an integral role in the creative process by which literature makes meaning. The practicing reader, no less than the writer, models an imaginative power that connects human beings across time and space. But twenty-first century readers face both new and familiar challenges to their practice, from access to literary materials to the more recent hegemony of distracting digital infrastructures. For many people, the idea of regular reading is unattainable.Enter the Reader in Residence. Like other artist residencies, it affords individuals the resources to practice their craft; unlike other artists-in-residence, the Reader is not expected to produce anything but their own attentive presence. By foregrounding the simple act of reading rather than what a given individual “gets out of it,” the Reader in Residence manifests literary engagement instead of value judgment. This is a revolutionary democratic posture in increasingly undemocratic times.
Required reading:
In Defense of Literacy - Wendell Berry, A Continuous Harmony
The Death of the Author - Roland Barthes, Image-Music-Text
Someone Reading a Book Is a Sign of Order in the World - Mary Ruefle, Madness, Rack, and Honey
Mission
To empower undistracted engagement with diverse literatures.
To nourish literary imagination, empathy and reflexivity.
To keep literary practice visible & viable in the digital age.
Vision
Communities bonded by individuality, openness, and imagination.
The Wild Carrot Society
for Technological Disobedience
Named for the opening epiphany of Jean Giono's Joy of Man's Desiring, the Wild Carrot Society hosts device-free events at Wolverine Farm and in its greater ecological surrounds. We engage in various activities that generally celebrate attention as a balm against collective technological addiction.Required reading:
Notes toward a Neo-Luddite Manifesto - Chellis Glendinning
Questions We Should Have Asked About Technology - Jerry Mander
Mission
To evaluate & respond to the ubiquity of digital infrastructures.
To empower non-digital sites of communion.
To resist the colonial imagination of technological society.
Vision
Diverse space for the untechnical recovery of self-knowledge.
I am tired of supporting billionaires—can I order books from you?
Yes, we are more than happy to bring in particular titles for you! Tell us what you're looking for right here.
I just published a book—will Perelandra carry it?
First of all, congratulations! The imaginative effort required to write a book is profound, and the ultimate object is an attentional refuge in our distracted age. Second, whether we can or will carry it depends on a number of factors, from genre and format to cost and accessibility.Distribution is not mandatory—we occasionally buy directly from writers and presses—but we do need a minimum 40% retail discount to cover the expenses associated with holding physical space for books in the 21st century. Then (and even more crucially) we need to see how your work relates and contributes to the greater ecosystem of literature that we carry. Sending or leaving us a complimentary reading copy is a great way to help us do this.In conclusion, there is no single rule for getting a book on our shelves, but if you 1) accord with the above, and 2) respect our autonomy, the chances are good.
Do you host book releases/readings? Can I schedule one?
Yes, we love hosting readings and book-related conversations. (We generally do not host book signings unless they come in the wake of a dedicated event.) To make it all a success, there are two main things to consider:First, it is important to have a plan for engaging your/our community. If you know a bunch of folks who are excited to celebrate your work, or a solid team who can help bring people out, then we can get the ball rolling! If you are new to Fort Collins or less sure of who will attend, there are lots of ways to get involved before hosting something new—Wolverine Farm's event schedule is replete with workshops, art shows, and live music.Second: In terms of book sales, the best option for us is to order copies from your publisher's distributor. Please note that distribution, alone, is not enough to ensure we can order your title(s)—we rely on industry standard terms to cover our expenses. Whether your book was published by you yourself or an established press, check to see that wholesale orders are 1) returnable, and 2) discounted at least 40%.If you have that first part covered but a less conventional approach to publishing, not to worry: you are still welcome to event with us and hand-sell your work.Please email Chelsea for inquiries and bookings.
Wolverine Farm vs. Perelandra Bookshop—what's the difference?
Wolverine Farm—a 501(c)3 nonprofit publisher—and Perelandra Bookshop share the Publick House in Fort Collins' River District. While Wolverine Farm oversees the cafe and event space, Perelandra Bookshop oversees the book collection. We're a wild and woolly partnership dedicated to Wolverine Farm's long term vision of contributing to "a community of creative, informed, and engaged citizens living in a diverse, healthy, and beautiful world."
Hello! Thanks for finding us. Before you reach out: If you are interested in hosting a book release or signing with Perelandra, please refer to our frequently asked questions—this helps clear the path for a successful gathering. For private event rentals, please see this info and contact Wolverine Farm directly. For applications to the Reader in Residence program, please proceed to this page. For special orders and all other queries, please use the form below :)