Papaya Press was founded by Sandro J. Ortega-Riek in Los Angeles in 2020 as an outlet for artist's books, handmade paper, prints, and collage.
The press specializes in books bound in recycled carboard and is inspired by the cartonera book format that thrives in independent publishing communities in Latin America. The cartonera format, which utilizes recycled cardboard (cartón in Spanish) as a binding material, emerged in Argentina in the early 2000s with the establishment of the publishing outfit Eloísa Cartonera. The term “cartonera” derives from the cartoneros, the cardboard sellers from whom cartonera publishers source their binding material. Cartonera books are sold cheaply, often at cost of materials, with the distribution of art, literature, and information taking precedence over profit motives. Over the last two decades, the cartonera format has spread throughout Latin America as a flexible, low-cost method for artists, writers, and activists to share their work even in times of crisis. More English-language information on the cartonera publishing movement can be found on the University of Wisconsin Libraries website here.
Papaya Press publications include How to Do Your T Shot: A Handbook for Hard Times (2023), Pain Is (2024), The Trans Swimmer: A Guide and Personal History (2024), and Home (2024). A full list of all publications can be found here.
Copies of the most recent publication, Home, are available here for $10 (+ shipping). Copies of all other publications are available here.
To place an order, please contact papayapress@duck.com or send an Instagram message to @papayapressla.