New Books for December 2025
Small, Independent, and University Press, and Author-published Books
NewPages learns about many wonderful book titles each month to share with our readers. You can read more about some of these by clicking on the link to their blog post. If you are a publisher or author looking to be listed here and featured on our blog, social media, and in our weekly newsletter, please visit our FAQ page.
December 2025 Featured Books
An Anthology of Rural Stories by Writers of Color, 2025, ed. Deesha Philyaw, EastOver Press
Anthology of short fiction by writers of color exploring place, identity, and psychological landscapes through experimental narratives. See Editor’s Choice blog post here.
Elegies of Herons, Sarah Wetzel, Black Sunflowers Poetry Press
Wetzel’s poetry fuses ecopoetics and elegy, naming inevitable loss through grief and song. Read the book review here.
The Long Now Conditions Permit, Jami Macarty, University of Nevada Press
Winner of the 2023 Test Site Poetry Prize, Macarty’s poems confront vulnerability, ecological threat, and gendered violence while seeking resilience and freedom beyond trauma. See blog post here.
Michigan County Atlas: Back Roads & Forgotten Places, David M. Brown, Author Published
This comprehensive atlas offers richly detailed maps, history, recreation, and extensive geographic features statewide. See blog post here.
More Beautiful Than The Dead, Danny Bellinger, Black Sunflowers Poetry Press
This chapbook blends memory, music, family, and 1960s turmoil, salvaging beauty from loss. Read the book review here.
Performance Anxiety, Sullivan Summer, Black Sunflowers Poetry Press
Summer interrogates imposed roles, trauma, and agency through experimental poems challenging societal scripts and silences. Read the book review here.
Soul Retrieval, Shanna McNair, High Frequency Press
A novel about poet’s journey through ‘The Prophet’ sparking profound self-discovery, renewed purpose, and intertwined artistic expression. See blog post here.
When Sad Ones Go Outside, Monica Wang. Black Sunflowers Poetry Press
Wang’s debut blends fabulism and lived experience, transforming grief into journeys through memory, loss, beauty. Read the book review here.
The Wounded Line: A Guide to Writing Poems of Trauma, Jehanne Dubrow, University of New Mexico Press
Dubrow’s craft guide helps poets transform trauma into lyric form using practical, compassionate techniques. See Editor’s Choice blog post here.
More Notable New Books
Poetry
Backlit, Liz Robbins, Rattle
Beautiful Snacks, Stephen Paul Miller, Marsh Hawk Press
Cul de Sac Diaries, Peter J. Dellolio, Lost Telegram Press
Echo Chamber, Renée Norman, Inanna Publications
Love in the Key of Cobra, Katie Kemple, Iron Horse Literary Review
Fiction
Everybody Needs Something, Melanie Pappadis Faranello, Columbus State University Press
No Wrong Seasons, Brenda Hartwell, Inanna Publications
One Sunday Without Desire, Cecelia Frey, Inanna Publications
Super Canucks, Matthew Del Papa and Andy Taylor, Latitude 46
Nonfiction
Dickens in Brooklyn: Essays on Family, Writing, & Madness, Jay Neugeboren, EastOver Press
The Soulmate Strategy: My Imperfect Plan to Conquer Heartbreak and Find True Love, Corey Seemiller, She Writes Press
Your Guide to Climate Action, Ryan Hagen, Climate Action Press
See November 2025 book titles here.
To discover more great books from small, independent, and university presses, visit the NewPages Guide to Publishers as well as our Books Received monthly roundup. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to stay up to date!