Some real-world hopepunk: A Japanese research team has announced complete cancerous tumor elimination in a mouse colorectal cancer model using a single administration of reptile and amphibian gut bacteria. The treatment "outperforms existing chemotherapy and immunotherapy with no adverse effects on normal tissues." They expect future applications across diverse tumor types, opening new avenues for cancer treatment.

Holiday recovery

Brianne and Josh both had surgery in December. No worries: everyone is fine, and neither of the procedures were emergencies. But this did make for a slower month than usual as we both spent time in recovery.

It's okay, though, because taking it a little bit easier during the holiday season is a good thing anyway. We had a very pleasant and relaxing Christmas and we're ready to move forward into 2026!

Light & Earth & Marrow

We thought we were done with acquisitions for the year, but Jeannie Marschall's cozy folklore fantasy Light & Earth & Marrow squeaked in at the eleventh hour!

Light & Earth & Marrow is slated for publication in fall 2026. We'll have more to share about this lovely story soon!

The hopepunk reading list

We've been curating a hopepunk reading list on Bookshop.org for the past few months:

​https://bookshop.org/lists/hopepunk-reading-list​

Authors: this list is deliberately representative of the types of things Shiraki Press is looking to publish.

Readers: this list is full of hopepunk books we really enjoyed, and we think you will too!

We've also been curating a list of books about the art and craft of writing, which you can find here.

Our favorites of 2025

​Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher is our favorite book of 2025. We both read it in December and it rocketed to the top of each of our lists for being such a perfect example of the type of hopepunk we're looking to publish.

Josh's favorites also include A Half-Built Garden by Ruthanna Emrys and Magica Riot by Kara Buchanan.

Brianne's favorites also include The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang, Artificial Condition by Martha Wells, The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers, and Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz.

And finally, our definitive craft book of 2025 is The Heroine's Journey by Gail Carriger. It's essentially a Rosetta Stone for the types of stories we're looking for in our submissions, and a crucial contribution to modern media literacy.

Upcoming events

We will once again be participating in #smallpitch January 19-25. Get your pitches ready!

We'll be paneling at RadCon February 13-15. More to come on this soon!

THE COLOR OF TIME author Millie Abecassis will join a panel at the Bay Area Book Festival on May 31, 2026. Shiraki Press may also be in attendance (our vendor application is pending).

Support Shiraki Press

Would you like to support our mission to bring more hopeful adult fiction into the world?

If so, the best ways you can help today are:

• Share our call for submissions anywhere you think it might resonate with readers or authors
• Follow and boost us on Instagram and BlueSky​
• Buy one of these hopepunk books we admire from Bookshop.org. (Shiraki Press makes a small commission on these sales.)

Connect with us

Feel free to reply directly to this message with any questions or comments, or email us at connect@shirakipress.com. (For submissions, please click here instead.)

You can also find us on Instagram and BlueSky, and at shirakipress.com.

This newsletter contains affiliate links to Bookshop.org. These sales earn both Shiraki Press and your chosen bookshop a commission.