Compound Press

Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, Aotearoa/New Zealand

Compound Press is an independent arts publisher from Aotearoa New Zealand, founded in 2012. We publish collections of poetry, focusing on experimental and hybrid works, as well as diverse voices. 'I am a human being' by trans writer Always Becoming won best first book of poetry at the 2021 New Zealand Book Awards, while experimental books by Alison Glenny were nominated for best book of poetry in 2022 ('Bird Collector') and 2025 ('Slanted'). We also published the best-selling and critically acclaimed 'A bathful of kawakawa and hot water' by Māori author Hana Pera Aoake. Our art and photography monographs champion both aesthetics and politics, with ‘The Tranquility of Solitude’ by Sydney-based New Zealand photographer Derek Henderson launching at the 2025 Melbourne Art Book Fair, and upcoming titles covering protest and Māori approaches to art-making. Compound Press also publishes the annual literary journal ‘Minarets’, which has a guest editor for each issue with the goal of connecting poetry and poetics in Aotearoa New Zealand with that of a different region in the world.