Ortac Press

A wildly entertaining and endlessly fascinating journey into the world of human-animal conversation from Luke Thompson. Moving between science, folklore, mysticism and absurdity, Domadomadoma-Blumblumblum is a unique and adventurous exploration of humanity’s obsession with talking to animals, as strange and surreal as it is profound. But a copy now from your local bookshop, or from ortacpress.com Distributed by @turnaround_books Artwork by @donyatodd

I've created a website for The Bedevilments, my forthcoming novella from @ortacpress . Link in bio or at . It features original artwork (also shown here) by the illustrator David Martin, a playlist of songs from 2002–11 (the book is set in 2011), and a reading list that discusses many of the book's inspirations. Here's an excerpt of the section on Charles Jackson's The Lost Weekend: This book was a sensation upon publication, due to way it presents the experience of alcoholism from the inside as a kind of self-perpetuating machine. It describes how the book’s protagonist, Don Birnam, embarks on a five-day bender when his brother leaves town, and recounts his increasingly hopeless attempts to secure the funds he needs for this purpose. Birnam is certainly dishonest and self-obsessed, but his predicament is not presented moralistically. Jackson was sober when he wrote the book, and though he was at that point somewhat hostile to Alcoholics Anonymous, the portrait of Birnam exemplifies the model of alcoholism put forward only a few years earlier in AA’s so-called Big Book. This explains why The Lost Weekend was a huge hit with AA members, and when Jackson joined AA several years later, he was treated as a celebrity (this treatment was probably not helpful to his own inconsistent attempts to remain sober long-term). For both the Big Book and The Lost Weekend, alcoholism is the result of a particular psychological profile: like the various character studies in the Big Book, Birnam is an egomaniac with an inferiority complex, plagued by acute self-consciousness, and he needs alcohol to feel normal. ... In subsequent posts here or on Substack, I’m going to discuss various themes The Bedevilments touches on: service, globalisation, embodiment, etc., though many of these posts won’t appear until closer to the official publication date.

THE BEDEVILMENTS by John Gay Publishing 10th September 2026 @thebedevilmentsbook — ‘Right.’ She flicked the thin dress straps off her shoulders, then reached behind her back for the zip. ‘Let’s get started, mister.’ Anthony is barely present in his own life. A failed academic career, a soul-crushing call-centre job, an Alcoholics Anonymous group he resents attending: he’s checked out from all of it. He spends the Sydney summer trying to avoid the sun, and lives only for the evenings when he can visit Emma, a sex worker at a local brothel. It’s during these rented hours that Anthony finds brief moments of human connection. He can afford to see Emma maybe once a month, but he can never hold on that long. Then Emma disappears, and there’s nowhere left for Anthony to hide. By turns appalling, funny and tender, The Bedevilments is an eye-opening story about addiction, sex and anonymity. — ‘Reading this book is like walking through one of those discreet doors that lead to a low-lit room full of barely clothed strangers who act as if they know you, offer you a drink and invite you to sit on a velvet couch. John Gay knows the brothels of Sydney, the way intimacy and anonymity dance there, the mental rasp of urban life meeting fake-silk sheets and body wash, and how forlorn souls seek company in the closest of conjunctions and tidiest of schedules. He knows the desolation of a young man’s modern life in gig-economy fragility, and he knows the sweet reek of alcohol coming off lonely skin. Clever, touching and captivating. I worked in brothels and lived in grungey apartments; I’ve been there myself, but still I couldn’t put The Bedevilments down.’ — Kate Holden, author of In My Skin and The Winter Road — Cover design by @_tometherington Cover art by @mysterious_fires Distributed by @turnaround_books For publicity enquiries contact @field_pr Pre-order now from ortacpress.com or your local bookshop

Before we storm into this excellent new episode, a reminder that tickets for Lazy Thinking Live Vol 2 are now available. I’ll start revealing the lineup tomorrow (Friday), but I’d encourage you to grab a ticket now as they’re strictly limited and are already flying out the door. When people see who’s performing and everything I’ve got planned, I expect they’ll disappear pretty quickly. That sorted, it’s time to convene the first annual meeting of the Heidi James Fan Club. I was familiar with bits of Heidi’s work, but it wasn’t until my guest suggested her 2020 novel, The Sound Mirror (published by @bluemoosebooksofficial ), that I had the pleasure of spending time in her world for an extended period. I’m glad I did. And I’m thankful to my guest for this episode, the brilliant Stu Hennigan, for choosing it for induction into the library. Indeed, welcome to The Library of Lazy ThinkingPodcast, with me, your host, Glenn Fisher. As you may well know by now, in each episode, I’m joined by a guest from the world of books and culture to talk about a specific book they’d like to put in the library. There’s no plan and no agenda, just two people lazily thinking about literature. Episodes 31-35 feature a brilliant variety of writers and creatives in the form of @sasha.bonet , Stu Hennigan, Sally O’Reilly, @smw_writing , and @molly.aitken . In this episode, as I say, my very special guest is the writer, Stu Hennigan, whose book Keshed is published in the UK by @ortacpress . We discuss his pick for the library, the 2020 novel The Sound Mirror by @heidipearljames . I hope you find the episode entertaining, interesting and potentially thought-provoking. And if you do enjoy it, please share it with your book-loving friends here on Instagram—it helps. Host @glenn.fisher Art direction by @lee__davies__ Show Theme by Squeeze the Gs Refreshments (none provided) Regrets (I have a few) #books #bookstagram #bookchat #agoodread #StuHennigan

Class works on you internally and externally, a combination of feeling and material conditions. That’s one reason it is difficult to define. It’s also a reason why we need writers like Stu Hennigan. Hennigan grew up in a working-class Yorkshire family, and lives in Leeds. He’ll be known to some readers as the author of Ghost Signs, a lauded memoir about his time delivering food parcels during the pandemic. Keshed, his first novel, is part experimental fiction, part kitchen-sink romance, part addiction story – and a unique account of the unmaking of the British working class. Keshed tells the story of a dying, alcoholic man reviewing the wreckage of his past life. Central to this is the relationship with his partner and child, which buckled under the pressures of late-stage capitalism. It’s the story of an individual, one who struggled after becoming the first in his family to have gone into higher education. Behind that, it’s the story of the disappearing social structures that held working-class lives together. Hennigan’s ability to connect the lone person with the social context explains the praise from publications like the Times Literary Supplement. In recent years, our industrial cities – none more so than Leeds – have been built over with shopping centres and high-rise apartment blocks that are unaffordable to the people who used to live there. To date, the resulting feelings of aggressive displacement have been insufficiently documented. Keshed not only documents them, it articulates why those feelings are much, much more than just nostalgia. To buy Keshed from our bookshop, see link in bio. @ortacpress #workingclass #workingclasswriter #councilestate #leeds #keshed

Spring time, the only ring-a-ding time: time to subscribe to our Book of the Month Club! Here's a list of the best in small press fiction titles sent / to be sent to our subscribers in the first half of the year. Don't miss out on what's coming next by signing up yourself or a friend at /bookofthemonth2025

Happy publication day to Stu Hennigan and his brilliantly brutal beast of a debut KESHED - a bold and unflinching novel that explores themes of class, masculinity, addiction, depression and parenthood. It’s not always an easy read but it’s pretty much an essential one. Don’t miss Stu at @serenitybooksellers in Stockport next Thursday (19th February) when he’ll be discussing KESHED with the mighty @terrilwhite (tickets in bio)

Happy publication day to the deep, dark, beautiful ride that is Keshed by Stu Hennigan. We’re incredibly proud to be publishing this bold, uncompromising novel. One of our favourite things that’s been said about Keshed is from James Scudamore below, which sums up the book’s raw power so well. Thanks to everyone who has bought a copy so far, and please do head to your local bookshop or our site if you’re yet to take the plunge! Congratulations Stu! ‘Keshed is a novel of fierce power, with a voice that rips from the page. It’s propelled by desperate yearnings: for feeling, for connection, for release from the tethers of addiction and trauma, of society and the self. It stares down hopelessness, and bursts with defiant desire.’ @jamesscudamore , Booker Prize-listed author of Heliopolis Thank you to @jack_flag for the brilliant cover design Thanks to @turnaround_books Thanks also to @jaime_witcomb , @inkeditorial and Alex at Tetragon

Tickets are available now for the launch of Keshed by Stu Hennigan. Stu will be interviewed by @naomi_r_booth at @sparkyork and the novel will be coming out later this month! 🩵

Published today - Detour by @abelenavin A raw exploration of bipolar disorder through photography and prose. Architect Abele Navin discovered that looking through a camera viewfinder could stop panic attacks when medication wasn’t enough. His ‘shooting therapy’ became both survival mechanism and art practice, capturing Tokyo’s neon-lit streets, isolated figures, and urban geometry while navigating mental illness as an expat. This isn’t a neat recovery story with happy endings. It’s brutally honest about hallucinations, psychosis, the strain on his marriage, and the ongoing reality of living with mental illness. The photographs aren’t mere illustrations, they’re integral to understanding his psychological state, revealing as much about his condition as his confessional writing. Through the lens of depression, Tokyo becomes both a sanctuary and prison. Co-published by Pendle Press x Ortac Press Foreword by @fuani.marino Edited by @sherif_dhaimish & @henry_rowley Designed by @lukepajak 200mm x 250mm, softback, 128pp, £30 rrp Available to order via link in bio - 20% off

Detour by @abelenavin A raw exploration of bipolar disorder through photography and prose. Architect Abele Navin discovered that looking through a camera viewfinder could stop panic attacks when medication wasn’t enough. His ‘shooting therapy’ became both survival mechanism and art practice, capturing Tokyo’s neon-lit streets, isolated figures, and urban geometry while navigating mental illness as an expat. This isn’t a neat recovery story with happy endings. It’s brutally honest about hallucinations, psychosis, the strain on his marriage, and the ongoing reality of living with mental illness. The photographs aren’t mere illustrations, they’re integral to understanding his psychological state, revealing as much about his condition as his confessional writing. Through the lens of depression, Tokyo becomes both a sanctuary and prison. Co-published by Pendle Press x Ortac Press Foreword by @fuani.marino Edited by @sherif_dhaimish & @henry_rowley Designed by @lukepajak Available to order via link in bio.

Rats on Rafts and Richard Foster are delighted to announce the continuation of an occasional soundtrack: a halfzware blend of words and music. On Thursday 7 August, at 13.00 sharp, in the Jugendheim Sankt Georg, the space where Haldern originally started, Richard will read an extract from his latest book, The Punk Rock Birdwatching Club to music: played by Rats on Rafts, live, onstage! The piece will reference his experiences at Haldern in 2005 and other things: maybe even Marvin Gaye gets a look in. The reading will segue immediately into the full force and grandeur of a Rats on Rafts gig. Rats play later on the same day at the hot and intimate Ton Studios, at 18.00, don’t miss that! Premiered in London, and one that has developed over a decade, this collaboration of Richard’s words and Rats’ music continues at Haldern Pop 2025. Will this be its last creative resting place, rumpelnd und rauschend, mit psychedelischer Lärm? Only one way to find out. Eine Band - und ein Mann - die nicht gefallen will, dafür aber umso mehr gefällt. Photos courtesy of @jasmijn_slegh @maikspringer and @leonorfaberjonker