Literati Press is a creators-led literary community located in the historic Paseo Arts District in Oklahoma City. Founded in 2010 as a scrappy boutique publishing company to herald innovative storytelling throughout the state, we steadily expanded through the years, opening a brick and mortar bookshop in 2016 and a creative writing center in 2024. This podcast series focuses on the booksellers, storytellers, and other amazing voices within our widening community.
Charles J. Martin founded Literati Press Comics & Novels in 2010 to give a platform to progressive storytelling in Oklahoma. In 2016, he took over as the gallery manager for the Paseo Plunge, later building out the Literati Press Bookshop which started with two modest bookcases by the front door and has since sprawled deeper and deeper into the building with no end in sight.
Ashley is a soon-to-be graduate from Oklahoma City University’s Red Earth MFA in Creative Writing, with a focus on memoir and creative non-fiction. She started working at the bookshop in August 2024.She has lived in Oklahoma for almost 20 years and loves exploring all the amazing food and activities available in the city and beyond. She’s always ready to recommend a book, restaurant, or boba shop for you to try.When not at the bookshop or exploring Oklahoma City, Ashley works full-time at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences campus in student affairs. She has a M. Ed. in Adult and Higher Education from the University of Oklahoma.
I am a native Texan, but have lived in Oklahoma 6 years (the first time) and another 19 years the second time. My daughter Sarah Atlee is an OKC fiber artist and painter, and my little dog, Flower, helps out at Literati as a Bookshop Dog.
I spent my professional life designing and producing books for University Presses in New Mexico, Indiana, and Oklahoma, thereby accumulating a vast store of esoteric trivia. I am enjoying learning the other side of the book business, and also the ringside seat for Literati Press's new venture, the Creative Writing Center.
Kristen Grace is a journalist for 405 Magazine and Art Focus and a graduate from Oklahoma City University’s Red Earth MFA program. She has authored a picture book, The Stepmother Who Believed in Feathers, as well as Wings, a collection of feminist fairy tales, through Literati Press. She has recently published poems in Focus Magazine, Mid/South, Freezeray, Behind the Rain Anthology and other literary journals.
After embarking on a 3 year adventure across the United States in their trusty RV, (and a brief hiatus thanks to Covid) Melissa, her husband, and their three kids found their haven in OKC, a place where they have forged wonderful connections and gained a true sense of home.
Melissa pinged on the Literati Press radar with her fantastic Instagram series, @stickynote_bookrecs as well as her frequent trips to our shop. Eventually, we roped her into the crew to help with spare hours. We soon realized she was a voracious reader and loved talking, selling, and curating books. Her role expanded into lead book buyer in 2023.
