Shattering Publishing Norms with Rebekah Borucki

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Rebekah “Bex” Borucki (she/they) is a mixed-race neuro-riotous mother-to-five, grandmother-to-one, self-help and children’s author, and the Founder and President of Row House, Wheat Penny Press, and the WPP Little Readers Big Change Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit delivering literacy programming to K-12 students in underestimated school districts and grants to Black and Brown creatives and booksellers.

Borucki is driven by a commitment to make wellness, self-learning, and literacy tools available to all and to help others recover the freedoms stolen from them by white supremacy through activism centering Black liberation and trans rights. She lives with her family in her native state, New Jersey.

Website | Instagram

Mentioned in this episode:

• Rebekah’s relationship with feminism

• Being a high-school “opt out” not a drop out

• Why storytelling is disruptive to systems and part of liberation

• What goes missing when publishing gatekeepers are mostly white

• What gave Rebekah the audacity to start a publishing company

• The role Google played in getting Row House off the ground

• Community is essential in doing something new and risky

• The financial playbook for getting Row House off the ground

• How being part of a marginalized community fosters creativity

• Disrupting an industry by getting a seat at the table instead of rioting outside the building

• How Row House makes its industry-busting 40-40 business model work

• Why the future of publishing needs to be diverse

• How Row House’s area of focus has changed over time

• Row House’s selection process (and why Rebekah stays out of it)

• Why Row House is no longer publishing anti-racism books for white people

• Shared values are the glue that hold a diverse team together

• How having autism affects the way Rebekah works

Resources mentioned:

• “The Anti-Racist Business Book” by Trudi LeBron

• “Managing the Mother Load” by Rebekah Borucki

• “The Scrolls of Deborah” by Esther Goldenberg

• “Heal Your Way Forward” by Myisha T. Hill

• “All the Black Girls are Activists” by EbonyJanice Moore

• “Soul on Ice” by Eldridge Cleaver

• “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou

• “Be Here Now” by Ram Dass

• Ancient Song Doula Services

• The Trevor Project

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

A full transcript of this interview is available at FeministFoundersPodcast.com