This class will explore the ideas and practices that go into making books as an artist-activist pursuit. The course will focus on the political art of publishing—including curating, editing, building ideas through books; design and layout; and distribution, etc.—understood as a form of media activism. We will explore political book publishing mainly through non-fiction writing but will also have opportunities to explore poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, and found text. The course will investigate: (1) media-activist tactics and strategies involved in publishing; (2) a history of writing, design, and publishing as “propaganda”; (3) writing, editing, and production as a political act; (4) and case studies of political publishing houses. While exploring the history of political book publishing practices, students will also work with a range of book forms and methods of printing and work with text and image to develop their own print-ready publication (or possibly a suite of books for the class). Conversations with guest publishers, writers, and artists will play an important role in the class as students learn key aspects of book planning and conceptualization, including layout, pagination, typeface selection, and cover design and production. With a mixture of history, theory, and practical study, this course will explore the ways in which publishing today is undergoing a revolutionary transformation from the vantage of the experience of writers, readers and publishers. This course does not require previous experience with printmaking or knowledge of the publishing industry (although it will be helpful for some), but students are encouraged to come with an interest in and commitment to developing a complete book project from concept to final printed piece.