Future Tense Books
@futuretensebooks.bsky.social
30+ years of fine books and endless love in Portland, Oregon. We publish daring literary books by writers you should get to know. Editors: Kevin Sampsell (PDX) and Emma Alden (Philadelphia).
Visit us at www.futuretensebooks.com
Visit us at www.futuretensebooks.com
Pinned
Hello friends. We're in the process of quitting the toxic landscape of tweets and Xs. Please follow us here so we can rebuild in a better social community. Much love, Kevin & Emma and the Future Tense family (which includes Susan, our very popular office manager, pictured below).
Great interview with poet and collage artist Evan Nicholls, author of Easy Tiger.
| Literary Feature |
Art on a Conveyor Belt // An Interview with Poet & Collage Artist Evan Nicholls
www.neonpajamas.com/blog/evan-ni...
@futuretensebooks.bsky.social / @ghostcitypress.bsky.social
Art on a Conveyor Belt // An Interview with Poet & Collage Artist Evan Nicholls
www.neonpajamas.com/blog/evan-ni...
@futuretensebooks.bsky.social / @ghostcitypress.bsky.social
January 30, 2026 at 5:41 PM
Great interview with poet and collage artist Evan Nicholls, author of Easy Tiger.
Love you back
January 28, 2026 at 1:59 AM
Love you back
Reposted by Future Tense Books
“I never get to know the heads’ names, nor do I see the heads attached to actual bodies. For all I know, they are floating heads passing by Frank’s old office.”
From Are People Out There, by Shane Kowalski, which was published by @futuretensebooks.bsky.social.
From Are People Out There, by Shane Kowalski, which was published by @futuretensebooks.bsky.social.
To Be Frank, by Shane Kowalski
We've recently updated our website to make signing in easier and more secure
buff.ly
December 24, 2025 at 11:00 PM
“I never get to know the heads’ names, nor do I see the heads attached to actual bodies. For all I know, they are floating heads passing by Frank’s old office.”
From Are People Out There, by Shane Kowalski, which was published by @futuretensebooks.bsky.social.
From Are People Out There, by Shane Kowalski, which was published by @futuretensebooks.bsky.social.
Reposted by Future Tense Books
Shane Kowalski's short stories are like extended prose poems. Funny, perverse, quirky, and unique. Picture Diane Williams dancing the tango with Russell Edson. Highly recommended.
@dieddisappointed.bsky.social
@futuretensebooks.bsky.social
@dieddisappointed.bsky.social
@futuretensebooks.bsky.social
December 23, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Shane Kowalski's short stories are like extended prose poems. Funny, perverse, quirky, and unique. Picture Diane Williams dancing the tango with Russell Edson. Highly recommended.
@dieddisappointed.bsky.social
@futuretensebooks.bsky.social
@dieddisappointed.bsky.social
@futuretensebooks.bsky.social
BREAKING NEWS! Shane Kowalski has a story in Harper's Magazine. 🪇🎉
This is from @dieddisappointed.bsky.social's spanking new collection, Are People Out There. Check it out here, or read it at your grocery store soon...
This is from @dieddisappointed.bsky.social's spanking new collection, Are People Out There. Check it out here, or read it at your grocery store soon...
To Be Frank, by Shane Kowalski
harpers.org
December 17, 2025 at 7:10 PM
BREAKING NEWS! Shane Kowalski has a story in Harper's Magazine. 🪇🎉
This is from @dieddisappointed.bsky.social's spanking new collection, Are People Out There. Check it out here, or read it at your grocery store soon...
This is from @dieddisappointed.bsky.social's spanking new collection, Are People Out There. Check it out here, or read it at your grocery store soon...
From Kevin Sampsell’s Xmas stories zine!
You think you know about Santa? Think again tbh 🎅
Kevin Sampsell Christmas oracle, spits hard facts about the holiday in THE 24 DAYS OF XMAS out now via @futuretensebooks.bsky.social ❄️
southwestreview.com/the-24-days-...
Kevin Sampsell Christmas oracle, spits hard facts about the holiday in THE 24 DAYS OF XMAS out now via @futuretensebooks.bsky.social ❄️
southwestreview.com/the-24-days-...
The 24 Days of Xmas - Southwest Review
Below you’ll find two stories from a new zine by Kevin Sampsell with collages by Katie Price. The 24 Days of Xmas is out this month from Future Tense Books. Best enjoyed with a mug of spiked egg nog. ...
southwestreview.com
December 16, 2025 at 6:31 PM
From Kevin Sampsell’s Xmas stories zine!
Surely everyone knows a Christmas banana? 🍌🥂
today we have a couple mico-length xmas stories by Kevin Sampsell !
one is about a santa who can't grow a beard, & the other story is about a christmas banana who goes to an office party. check it out !!
xraylitmag.com/xmas-stories...
one is about a santa who can't grow a beard, & the other story is about a christmas banana who goes to an office party. check it out !!
xraylitmag.com/xmas-stories...
XMAS STORIES FOR X-R-A-Y by Kevin Sampsell
These stories are from Kevin Sampsell’s new zine, The 24 Days of Xmas. New Smooth Santa Christmas was approaching, but Santa had no beard. He’d shaved it off that summer after his dog, Carol, gave h...
xraylitmag.com
December 9, 2025 at 2:01 AM
Surely everyone knows a Christmas banana? 🍌🥂
Reposted by Future Tense Books
This new @dieddisappointed.bsky.social book is astounding. Sorry it’s greasy, blame the snyders pretzel company
November 5, 2025 at 1:47 AM
This new @dieddisappointed.bsky.social book is astounding. Sorry it’s greasy, blame the snyders pretzel company
Reposted by Future Tense Books
seen a buncha people posting @dieddisappointed.bsky.social's book and wanted to join. only a few stories in, but it is (expectedly) great.
here's probably my fave paragraph so far:
here's probably my fave paragraph so far:
November 11, 2025 at 5:41 PM
seen a buncha people posting @dieddisappointed.bsky.social's book and wanted to join. only a few stories in, but it is (expectedly) great.
here's probably my fave paragraph so far:
here's probably my fave paragraph so far:
Imagine the tears of joy when you give someone the gift of @dieddisappointed.bsky.social 🎁
futuretensebooks.com
futuretensebooks.com
November 22, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Imagine the tears of joy when you give someone the gift of @dieddisappointed.bsky.social 🎁
futuretensebooks.com
futuretensebooks.com
Reposted by Future Tense Books
Re: taking risks on books large publishers wouldn’t. My book Excavation was rejected by ~30 traditional publishing editors before a small press (@futuretensebooks.bsky.social) picked it up. It went on to sell about 10k copies before I sold it to @nupress.bsky.social.
November 21, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Re: taking risks on books large publishers wouldn’t. My book Excavation was rejected by ~30 traditional publishing editors before a small press (@futuretensebooks.bsky.social) picked it up. It went on to sell about 10k copies before I sold it to @nupress.bsky.social.
Your new favorite snack reading.
This new @dieddisappointed.bsky.social book is astounding. Sorry it’s greasy, blame the snyders pretzel company
November 11, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Your new favorite snack reading.
Reposted by Future Tense Books
new xmas story from the new collection:
My favorite story firm @dieddisappointed.bsky.social's new collection.
November 10, 2025 at 2:14 PM
new xmas story from the new collection:
Reposted by Future Tense Books
we have a story by Shane Kowalski @dieddisappointed.bsky.social !
in the story Murphy – a professional in the city whose life makes him feel so confused that at times he wonders if he’s had a stroke – visits his friend Malone.
a great story ! & a great ending
xraylitmag.com/beckettian-b...
in the story Murphy – a professional in the city whose life makes him feel so confused that at times he wonders if he’s had a stroke – visits his friend Malone.
a great story ! & a great ending
xraylitmag.com/beckettian-b...
BECKETTIAN by Shane Kowalski
Murphy was visiting Malone. It had been a while since they had seen each other. Murphy being busy in the city, while Malone had lingered in the countryside. Murphy remembered those dark country roads,...
xraylitmag.com
November 10, 2025 at 12:15 PM
we have a story by Shane Kowalski @dieddisappointed.bsky.social !
in the story Murphy – a professional in the city whose life makes him feel so confused that at times he wonders if he’s had a stroke – visits his friend Malone.
a great story ! & a great ending
xraylitmag.com/beckettian-b...
in the story Murphy – a professional in the city whose life makes him feel so confused that at times he wonders if he’s had a stroke – visits his friend Malone.
a great story ! & a great ending
xraylitmag.com/beckettian-b...
Reposted by Future Tense Books
November 9, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Mid-September in Portland and it's finally raining for real real. And after we tidied up the Future Tense inventory closet, we decided to mark some stuff down. It's a good day to order some books!
futuretensebooks.com/shop/
futuretensebooks.com/shop/
Shop | Future Tense Books
futuretensebooks.com
September 14, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Mid-September in Portland and it's finally raining for real real. And after we tidied up the Future Tense inventory closet, we decided to mark some stuff down. It's a good day to order some books!
futuretensebooks.com/shop/
futuretensebooks.com/shop/
We can't wait to publish the new Shane Kowalski {@dieddisappointed.bsky.social} collection, Are People Out There. You can claim your October copy now!
futuretensebooks.com/product/peop...
futuretensebooks.com/product/peop...
September 6, 2025 at 8:08 PM
We can't wait to publish the new Shane Kowalski {@dieddisappointed.bsky.social} collection, Are People Out There. You can claim your October copy now!
futuretensebooks.com/product/peop...
futuretensebooks.com/product/peop...
Reposted by Future Tense Books
You can now pre-order my new collection of stories, Are People Out There. It drops 10.31.25 via @futuretensebooks.bsky.social: futuretensebooks.com/product/peop...
PRE-ORDER: Are People Out There by Shane Kowalski | Future Tense Books
futuretensebooks.com
September 3, 2025 at 7:53 PM
You can now pre-order my new collection of stories, Are People Out There. It drops 10.31.25 via @futuretensebooks.bsky.social: futuretensebooks.com/product/peop...
Reposted by Future Tense Books
i have a story up at Cleveland Review of Books. it's the title story of my forthcoming collection with @futuretensebooks.bsky.social. the story is about a baby.
Are People Out There - Cleveland Review of Books
I decided to become my friend’s baby. My friend is someone I know from high school. We’ve been friends for years. Now she is married to a man, a CPA or MBA or CEO, and they have a baby.
clereviewofbooks.com
August 20, 2025 at 10:32 PM
i have a story up at Cleveland Review of Books. it's the title story of my forthcoming collection with @futuretensebooks.bsky.social. the story is about a baby.
"The result is an insatiable discomfort coupled with the determination to just keep reading and un-fuzz the whole thing."
We love this review of Diana Orepeza's amazing book.
We love this review of Diana Orepeza's amazing book.
Fiction Review: Tara Van De Mark Reads Diana Oropeza’s Debut Collection An Incomplete Catalog of Disappearance
An Incomplete Catalog of Disappearance by Diana Oropeza arrived by mail, slipped out of the envelope, through my hands, and onto the hallway floor. The size of a passport, it landed next to a …
heavyfeatherreview.org
August 8, 2025 at 7:04 PM
"The result is an insatiable discomfort coupled with the determination to just keep reading and un-fuzz the whole thing."
We love this review of Diana Orepeza's amazing book.
We love this review of Diana Orepeza's amazing book.
We love seeing reviews and ratings of our books on Goodreads. For small presses, this is hugely important.
Hint hint. 😉
Hint hint. 😉
Easy Tiger
A dunce cap on a dog. The world’s largest sausage. A gi…
www.goodreads.com
August 6, 2025 at 6:15 PM
We love seeing reviews and ratings of our books on Goodreads. For small presses, this is hugely important.
Hint hint. 😉
Hint hint. 😉
Wonderful event last night at Powell’s with @wendyortiz.com in conversation with @emillygprado.bsky.social
(Wendy, Emilly, and Kevin)
(Wendy, Emilly, and Kevin)
July 31, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Wonderful event last night at Powell’s with @wendyortiz.com in conversation with @emillygprado.bsky.social
(Wendy, Emilly, and Kevin)
(Wendy, Emilly, and Kevin)
Tonight!! ✨
We’ve got cooler temperatures in LA than Portland rn 🤪 Hope to see you Wednesday!
July 30, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Tonight!! ✨
Reposted by Future Tense Books
July 29, 2025 at 12:58 AM
Reposted by Future Tense Books
Did you miss the Easy Tiger virtual launch on Sunday? You can rest easy now, because the full reading is up on YouTube!
🐅🐅🐅
youtu.be/HymLeGr6zVs
@garybarwin.bsky.social
@vikshirley.bsky.social
@markleidner.bsky.social
@futuretensebooks.bsky.social
🐅🐅🐅
youtu.be/HymLeGr6zVs
@garybarwin.bsky.social
@vikshirley.bsky.social
@markleidner.bsky.social
@futuretensebooks.bsky.social
July 29, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Did you miss the Easy Tiger virtual launch on Sunday? You can rest easy now, because the full reading is up on YouTube!
🐅🐅🐅
youtu.be/HymLeGr6zVs
@garybarwin.bsky.social
@vikshirley.bsky.social
@markleidner.bsky.social
@futuretensebooks.bsky.social
🐅🐅🐅
youtu.be/HymLeGr6zVs
@garybarwin.bsky.social
@vikshirley.bsky.social
@markleidner.bsky.social
@futuretensebooks.bsky.social