PLEASE NOTE: We are transitioning to a new website. Please visit now us at leftforkbooks.com
(and update your bookmarks before this page you’re on goes away)
Left Fork has published several books since opening shop in Fall 2014, with more forthcoming. Scroll down for more info on what’s out in the world already, or click here to see what is available from our new imprint Flowstone.
Joy the Mighty Maremma
August 2019
by Kit DeYoung, illustrated by Deborah Ann Dawson
Like her parents, Joy is a livestock guardian dog (LGD) living on a farm. Soon she has a new family. But the farm animals are slow to appreciate her. When danger lurks, they learn the value Joy brings to their farm life. Available now.
Issue #5 of Cobra Lily: a review of southwest oregon literature and art
July 2019
by Various
Cobra Lily is a review of art and literature, focusing on the cultural and natural environs of Southwest Oregon. Issue Five features the work of the following artists (in order of appearance): Pepper Trail, Barbara Parchim, Annette McGee Rasch, Lori Mitchell, Gary Lark, R. L. Adare, Deborah Ann Dawson, Christine Perala Gardiner, Anathea Sparrow, Kayla Rau, Joyce Abrams, Susan Gustafson, Miles West, and Justice Palacios. Available now.
Come to the Edge: Arrival and Survival in Del Norte County
November 2018
Edited by Ruth Rhodes
A compelling collection about living in Del Norte County, California, direct from 41 people who live there. In their own words, a diverse array of 41 people who call the county home share their lives and illustrate both the beauty and challenge of such a unique area. Readers will appreciate the frankness of contributors. In an area with some of the lowest health and educational outcomes in the state, contributors didn’t shy away from sharing their very real experiences of daily life. Learn more about the book here.
from Left Fork (Note shipping charges: 1 book – $3; 2 – $4; 3 – $5, 4 – $6, 5+ books $7)
Magician’s Secrets
November 2018
by Kailen Forsythe-Elder
Here you’ll find tales of fantasy and adventure. You’ll find 3 pigs, 4 kittens, 6 siblings, and, well, more kittens. Mix in assorted musings on time and blueberries. But be careful here, lest you get trapped in a “Never-Ending” Adventure Story. Yes, it’s stories as only can be dreamed up by the mind of the one and only Kailen. Come along and learn… the Magician’s Secrets.
Issue #4 of Cobra Lily: a review of southwest oregon literature and art
October 2018
by Various
Cobra Lily is a review of art and literature, focusing on the cultural and natural environs of Southwest Oregon. Issue Four features the work of the following artists (in order of appearance): Abbigayle Jolley, Susan Gustafson, Franklyn Tosh, Pamela Haunschild, Hannah Andrews, Miles West, Iris Chinook, Jeff Powell, Cord MacGuire, Michael Franklin, Jessica Cannon, Zvi Baranoff, Lindsey B. Jones, Kate Taormina, Michael Spring, Coreen Davis Hampson, Barbara Parchim, Josh Pool, Ryan Forsythe, and Rory Forsythe-Elder. Available now.
Takilma Common Ground Anthology: Volume III * 2002-2008
April 2017
by Various Contributors
Takilma Common Ground was created in 1994 to increase communication and stimulate discussion in the community of Takilma, in Southwest Oregon. Volume 3 of the anthology collects the third 25 issues. There is no finer chronicle of life in Takilma, past and present, than the Takilma Common Ground. Published by Takilma Common Ground with the support of Left Fork. The editors gratefully acknowledge the ongoing support of the Takilma community, all past and present volunteers and staff, and all writers, artists, and photographers who have contributed. Available now.
Issue #3 of Cobra Lily: a review of southwest oregon literature and art
November 2017
by Various
Cobra Lily is a review of art and literature, focusing on the cultural and natural environs of Southwest Oregon. Issue Three features the work of the following artists (in order of appearance): Joyce Abrams, Gary Lark, Desmond Serratore, Gray Conway, Susan Gustafson, Isaac Baranoff, Hannah Andrews, Marlyce Andrews, Morgan Andrews, Deborah Ann Dawson, Hazel Danene Speer, Lily Mayo, Lucas Tillett, the Oregon Caves Rangers, Donna Parrish, and Zvi Baranoff. Available now from Amazon.com.
Please note Issue Three is dedicated to the memory of David Newell. David was a wood carver and artist familiar to most throughout the Illinois Valley. He enjoyed playing banjo for his marionette gnomes and fairies, and also throwing spears with an atlatl (he also happened to have made the banjos, marionettes, and atlatls). His first full collection of poems, The Poem Said, was published by Left Fork in 2015. Each of the first two issues of Cobra Lily included several of his poems.
Woodwoo – The Little Sasquatch
October 2017
by Michael Spring, illustrated by Deborah Ann Dawson
Woodwoo can’t “sa-squash” a log into mush, not like a full-grown Yeti…not yet! But he wants you to know he is still big and strong compared to a bear or ape. After all, he stands almost eight squirrels tall and his feet are tougher than cedar bark boots. In this book Woodwoo shares his favorite foods, activities, and sounds. But what he thinks smells sweet might not smell sweet to you. Mostly, this little sasquatch wants to share what makes him woo. And what is Woo? Come along as Woodwoo welcomes you. Bring your imagination and stomp or shuffle into the little-known world of this little sasquatch.
Takilma Common Ground Anthology: Volume II * 1997-2002
October 2017
by Various Contributors
Takilma Common Ground was created in 1994 to increase communication and stimulate discussion in the community of Takilma, in Southwest Oregon. Volume 2 of the anthology collects the second 25 issues. These issues often feature responses to themes, in the form of articles, essays, letters, poetry, and pictures. Issues also include birth announcements, memorials, recipes, a kids page, essays on the history of the area, and information on events. Published by Takilma Common Ground with the support of Left Fork.
Available now from Amazon.com.
Takilma Common Ground Anthology: Volume I * 1994-1997
October 2016
by Various Contributors
Takilma Common Ground was created in 1994 to increase communication and stimulate discussion in the community of Takilma, in Southwest Oregon. Volume 1 of the anthology collects the first 25 issues. There is no finer chronicle of life in Takilma, past and present, than the Takilma Common Ground. Published by Takilma Common Ground with the support of Left Fork.
Available now from Amazon.com.
Unfolding the Field
July 2016
by Michael Spring
Michael Spring’s fourth book of poetry. According to Absinthe Poetry Review, “Michael Spring is a poet with a rich inner life. Whoever he is in this world, he is also someone who works with the transformative energies of the imagination. His poetry is totemic, introspective, and written with a soulful music that comes predominantly from the natural world. His work invites us to look further than knowledge can reach.”
Available now from Amazon.com.
Issue #2 of Cobra Lily: a review of southwest oregon literature and art
May 2016
by Various
Cobra Lily is a review of art and literature, focusing on the cultural and natural environs of Southwest Oregon. We seek to promote voices from this region, as well as voices outside the area which speak to the natural rhythms and experience of life here.
Issue Two features the work of the following artists (in order of appearance): Zvi Baranoff, Amy Pete
rson, Desmond Serratore, Iris Chinook, Pamela Haunschild, Kaci Elder, Susan Gustafson, Veronika Trishyna, Katie Chamberlain, David Newell, Waves Forest, Sydney Clinton, Paul Forristal, and Kelpie Wilson.
Here From Somewhere Else
December 2015
by Judith Arcana
According to Jennifer Richter, “Judith Arcana’s gorgeous new collection, has movement at its core. Many of these poems are fueled by questions—questions that generate a powerful urgency and contribute to the book’s compelling internal momentum.” The book received the 2015 Turtle Island Quarterly Editor’s Choice Chapbook Award.
Available now from Amazon.com.
Bicycle Lotus
December 2015
by Sara Backer
There are no observers in the food chain. Like it or not, we’re in nature and nature is in us. So, what do we do about that? In this hybrid collection of poetry and short essays presented as a chronological narrative, Sara Backer explores the choices we make to embrace and reject the wild world. This chapbook won the 2015 Turtle Island Poetry Award. According to Turtle Island editor Jared Smith, “This is what a chapbook should be all about—a precise and mind expanding voyage into a state of mind that could not be entered into through a longer work—and yet contains more than any work of similar size possibly could.”
Available now from Amazon.com.
10-Year Old Creepy Poems
December 2015
by Rory Forsythe-Elder
Kicking off our series of books by local kids, helping them know that they can be amazing published authors in their own right, this chapbook presents a series of humorous and haunting horror poems. According to poet Michael Spring, “Intelligence and imagination gather as the author braves and reveals Chaos. This book is thrilling and haunting, written with a sense of urgency and biting humor.”
Available on Amazon.
The Doodle, Design, & Draw Book for Illinois Valley Kids of All Ages
December 2015
It’s Oregon’s Illinois Valley as only YOU know it! Discover something deep in the Oregon Caves. Design new playground equipment at Jubilee Park. Create your scarecrow entry for the Acorn Festival. Build the next treehouse at Out ‘N’ About. And how will you top your Taylor Dog?
You can do(oodle) all this and much more in this drawing book, designed exclusively for residents of the IV.
Here’s the Amazon. But probably better to pick up in Cave Junction, at Bagel Junction, the Visitor Center, or the Southern Oregon Guild of Artists and Artisans (because then you can start doodling immediately).
P4: Plants, Poetry, Polemics & Play
November 2015
by K. Elder
Published in partnership with Radical Roots Press (possibly the premiere in a plethora of partnerings), this collection contains a cornucopia of K. Elder’s complex and often unclassifiable compositions.
Available now from, yup, Amazon.com.
Ravenwood
July 2015
by Michael Spring / Watercolors by Deborah Ann Dawson
This special book includes selected works from award-winning poet Michael Spring which correspond with the watercolor paintings of Deborah Ann Dawson.
Available at most booksellers around Southern Oregon and also available from Amazon.com. (And very soon we hope to offer readers the ability to purchase signed copies through the website here.)
The Poem Said
July 2015
by David Newell
They say brevity is the soul of wit. To be sure, David Newell’s first poetry collection includes plenty of each: brevity, soul, and wit. ‘The Poem Said’ presents nuggets of wit and wisdom from the professional wood carver and artist. As a bonus, the collection also features several visual images of the author’s many unique wood carvings.
Available now from Amazon.com.
Cobra Lily: a review of southwest oregon literature and art
May 2015
Cobra Lily is a review of art and literature, focusing on the cultural and natural environs of Southwest Oregon. We seek to promote voices from this region, as well as voices outside the area which speak to the natural rhythms and experience of life here. Why Cobra Lily? The carnivorous pitcher plant exists most abundantly in Southwest Oregon. This native plant has distinctively adapted to thrive in our region. We draw inspiration from this plant because we dare to be as unique, publishing the diverse writers and artists of Southwest Oregon’s extraordinary landscape and culture.
Issue One features the work of the following artists (in order of appearance): Gary Lark, Pepper Trail, Melissa Matthewson, Patty Wixon, Scott T. Starbuck, ‘Buckwheat Bob’ Harrison, John Noland, Rhonda Lynn, Lilyana Rain, Kindi Fahrnkopf, Kay Elaine Ekwall, Dave Dunbar, Kelly Waldin, Anita Savio, Rich Norman, David Lorenz Winston, Dallion McGregor, Summer Wolf, Juliette Wolf, Isaac Wolf, David Newell, Susan Gustafson, Angela Graves, Annette McGee Rasch, Michael Spring, Savanna G. S., Alan Laurie, Sara Backer, Scott Simpson, Rory Forsythe-Elder, Deborah Ann Dawson, Kathryn Velho, and Kailen Forsythe-Elder.
Available at the Southern Oregon Guild and other places around the Illinois Valley and southern Oregon. Also available from Amazon.com.
from Left Fork
Goldilocks and the Three BARs (Beyond Available Resources) November 2014
by Ryan Forsythe / illustrated by Rory Forsythe-Elder
In this updated version of the story of the Three Bears, Goldilocks comes to Josephine County, Oregon. But will anyone help when the Three Bears call their local Sheriff to report Goldilocks’ acts of robbery, vandalism, and trespassing?
The book is available from Amazon.com (both print and Kindle versions).
The Little Veal Cutlet That Couldn’t
October 2014
by Ryan Forsythe / illustrated by Cassie Hart
When cow Betsy meets her fate at the slaughterhouse, her son lives on—at least until he ends up dinner at a posh country club. The book has the appearance of a children’s book, told in rhyme and complete with illustrations by artist Cassie Hart. But parents should not be fooled—the book deals with some serious issues, including the treatment of cows in the production of milk and veal. Check out Mike Mannix’s review in Humboldt County’s free alt-weekly, The North Coast Journal.
This updated edition is available at Pine Cone Books in Cave Junction, Oregon, and online from Amazon.com.
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