In the sea of indie presses, few walk their talk like Arachne Press. Founded in 2012 and still run largely solo by Cherry Potts, this small but mighty operation has been spinning inclusive stories with intention, care, and craft long before “diversity” became a marketing buzzword.
Nominated by Emma Lee for this year’s #IndieLitMagGala, Arachne Press stands as a testament to what publishing should look like when values drive action—not just aesthetics.
“Very supportive vibe & community feel… prioritising LGBTQ+, Global Majority, Disabled, geographically isolated and Older Women writers… Cherry runs the press by herself but has created a community feel… they’re always seeking ways to make poetry more accessible.”
Let’s break that down.
Arachne doesn’t just “welcome” marginalised writers—they centre them. Their catalogue is rich with anthologies and collections that prioritise LGBTQ+ writers, disabled and neurodiverse voices, older women, the Global Majority, geographically isolated writers, and Welsh-language poets. Not in tokenistic side projects—in the main work.
They’ve published titles like:
Their approach isn’t academic or preachy. It’s practical. Honest. Necessary.
Cherry isn’t just a publisher—she’s a cultural worker. She’s held this thing together through grant cycles, festival seasons, and personal graft, never compromising on her belief that writers deserve to be paid, properly credited, and treated with respect. And she’s created a real sense of community across contributors—from those with one poem in an anthology to those with full collections.
She runs events, workshops, and readings—sometimes with live music, sometimes tied to art exhibitions, always with a sense of occasion and care. She champions writers at the Poetry Pharmacy in London, supports arts spaces like The Stephen Lawrence Gallery, and uplifts ecosystems, not just individual names.
Arachne’s commitment doesn’t stop with the page. They are deep into accessible publishing, using large print (minimum 12pt Garamond), simplified digital formats for screen readers, and where possible, producing audiobooks and BSL translations.
And they’re greening their operations too:
This is a press that knows literature doesn’t live in a vacuum. It’s part of a world we need to protect—and make room for everyone in.
The Solstice Shorts Festival is Arachne’s own literary ritual—an annual project combining writing, music, performance, and seasonal celebration. The associated anthologies are some of their most joyful, genre-hopping offerings. It’s another example of how Arachne keeps literature live and embodied, not just printed and shelved.
Arachne doesn’t just publish books. They publish possibility—the kind that shows you what the literary world can be when gatekeeping gives way to generosity.
They prove that accessibility isn’t an add-on—it’s a principle. That diversity isn’t a category—it’s the baseline. That community isn’t a buzzword—it’s the actual work.
To @emmalee1.bsky.social—thank you for nominating them. To Cherry Potts and everyone touched by Arachne’s work: this moment is yours. Quiet, maybe. But powerful. Deserved.
This is why the #IndieLitMagGala exists.
To pull names like this into the centre.
To honour the effort, the ethics, the art.
To say: we see you. We thank you. We read you.
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