Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathryn Fay.
Hi Kathryn, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am the publisher and founding editor of Modern Artist Press. My background is in English and art history – I studied both in school and worked for some time in art museums – but I also spent a number of years working in business development and writing proposals. In 2023, I decided to draw from all of that past experience to launch the press. Today, Modern Artist Press has published three books, with three more forthcoming. I am also in the process of reviewing submissions for books that will be published in fall 2027 and beyond.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’ve been writing, editing, and publishing in various capacities (academic, museum, business development, etc.) for over 15 years, but I had never even thought about running my own business until I considered starting the press. (Shout out to my writer friend, Rob Verhein – it was during a conversation that we had years ago that the idea first emerged.) And so, in order to launch and run the press, there have been many things that I have had to learn, including website development, bookkeeping, media insurance, and social media marketing. These new skills have come with their own learning curves and challenges.
Additionally, we are in a moment where book bans are increasing, corporations are pushing generative AI, and federal guidelines are prescribing the kind of art that can be funded. Despite this, I am encouraged by the ways that the book community continues to show up for each other – from reading (and buying) BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and small-press books to attending author events at indie bookstores and book festivals. Earlier this year, the AWP Conference was held in Baltimore; this conference is the largest annual writing conference in North America, and the press collaborated with five local publishers to hold an off-site reading at Pickles Pub, a bookfair scavenger hunt, and a swag bag giveaway. It was such an uplifting experience to connect with so many readers and writers.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Modern Artist Press is an independent press that looks to expand and explode the definition of a modern artist by publishing literary fiction. I am committed to promoting new literary voices and amplifying the work of writers and artists with marginalized identities. Their stories should be told, and I believe readers are hungry for them.
I am very excited to share the books that are part of Modern Artist Press’s growing catalog:
We’re Gonna Get Through This Together by Z. Hanna blends satire, realism, and speculative fiction to explore the forces that bring people together and drive them apart. Brian Evenson, the author of Song for the Unraveling of the World, said this about the collection: “… these stories are what George Saunders might write if he was non-binary, a few decades younger, and spent more time Googling.” (Pub date: March 4, 2025)
I Watched You from the Ocean Floor by Erin Cecilia Thomas is a debut short story collection that shares eleven stories on what it means to grieve and to keep on living. Erin Cecilia Thomas writes elegiac narratives that are also portraits of strength, resilience, and grit as her female main characters move through their grief and the beautifully rugged landscapes along the California coast, Tennessee farmland, and New Jersey suburbs. (Pub date: July 1, 2025)
Chitra Demands to Go Home by Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay is a debut novel that tells the story of Chitra, a 75-year-old Bengali woman who feels trapped in an assisted living facility in Columbus, Ohio and just wants to go home. This novel is funny and poignant, exploring mother-son relationships, cross-cultural conversations, and the tribulations of getting older as Chitra plots her triumphant return to her home in Kolkata. (Pub date: May 12, 2026)
Marble by Taylor Catalana is the feminist retelling of the life of the Virgin Mary, sharing her story before she became a mother. In this debut novel, Maryam is scrambling to survive on the edge of the Roman Empire and decides to take her life into her own hands and nothing — not a princess, not an empire, not even an angel — will stop her from seeing her own will be done. (Pub date: September 29, 2026)
Forever Egg by Tierney Oberhammer is a debut short story collection that explores questions of identity, belonging, and shame. Across a dozen interconnected stories that are set in New York, Florida, and an imaginary Caribbean island, the collection asks: what do we owe the people we love and how do our choices reverberate across time? (Pub date: March 2027)
Neighborhood Watch Party by Moisés R. Delgado tells the story of a brother and sister who are looking to survive a dreadfully hot and boring summer in Omaha by searching for gossip in their neighborhood. Told through quick tales of chisme, the short story collection explores how gossip not only entertains us, but also helps us through life’s greatest challenges. (Pub date: June 2027)
Who else deserves credit in your story?
First and foremost, credit goes to the authors: without their writing and their stories, the press wouldn’t have anything to publish. I am deeply honored to work with each of them and I appreciate the opportunity to share their books with the world.
I also want to express my gratitude for the cover designers, Kimberly Glyder and Shreya Gupta, who have designed the beautiful covers that you see.
The DMV area (DC/Maryland/Virginia) has an incredible reading and writing scene. It is such a joy to be a member of this welcoming and supportive community of readers, writers, booksellers, literary organizations, and indie presses.
For anyone who is launching a creative business, I recommend The Creative Business Handbook by Ekaterina Popova and Alicia Puig. My copy has over a dozen sticky notes in it and the pages are falling away from the spine from the number of times I’ve referenced it.
I also recommend the resources created by Hannah Cole of Sunlight Tax. Hannah Cole is a tax pro and a professional artist who helps creative and mission-focused people with their taxes and money management. I joined her Money Bootcamp program shortly after launching the press and her lessons on taxes and bookkeeping were invaluable.
I am also eternally grateful for the support of my family. They have encouraged and supported the press in a million ways, from helping me transport boxes of books to reading advance reader copies.
And thank you to the readers: each book you buy, each event you attend, each time you share a book recommendation with a fellow reader, it really makes a big difference for a small indie press like Modern Artist Press.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.modernartistpress.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modernartistpress
