'The Book of Everyday Resistance' inspires quiet protests

Author and publisher Lori Perkins considers herself a curator of small acts of defiance – the latest being her new anthology, “The Book of Everyday Resistance.” 

The collection features a wide-ranging mix of essays, personal reflections and editorial cartoons from contributors across the U.S. Among them are two Pulitzer Prize winners, firefighters and parents, each offering a glimpse into how everyday people challenge authority and battle injustice. The acts of resistance they describe are often quiet but deeply intentional, existing outside the framework of traditional protest movements.

“I want readers to be inspired by the people in it, and come out and say, 'I too, can resist –  I can resist every day in every way I can,’ even if it's, you know, not buying from Amazon or Walmart," Perkins explained.

Rather than profit from the book, she chose to release it digitally at no cost.

A former journalist and journalism adjunct at NYU, Perkins was 22 when she launched a neighborhood newspaper in Washington Heights. Her passion for storytelling led her to a role as a literary agent, where she spent years helping authors navigate the industry. 

“They kept saying, ‘Lori, why don’t you open your own publishing company?’” she recalled. “But back then, you needed about $2 million to start one.”

However, the advent of digital publishing and e-books made the venture financially feasible.

The literary lover founded Riverdale Avenue Books in 2012 at 5676 Riverdale Ave. Perkins describes it as a “boutique, indie, award-winning publishing house.” To date, it has released about 600 titles, operating with a mission rooted in inclusion, advocacy and providing a platform to voices and genres often left out of traditional publishing – like feminist erotica.

The company put out multiple works devoted to queer fiction and non-fiction, sex-positive narratives and political protest collections. Since its establishment, the publishing house has emerged as a leader in LGBTQ+ publishing and in 2014, it was named the Bi Writers Association’s Bisexual Publisher of the Year.

Most of Perkin’s work centers on urgent social commentary. Her 2017 anthology, “#MeToo: Essays About How and Why This Happened, What It Means and How to Make Sure It Never Happens Again,” was published just days after an exposé revealed decades of sexual assault and abuse allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein. 

But it’s not only the political climate pushing her to speak out against what she sees as injustices. Perkins is a stage-three breast cancer survivor. 

“I really almost died,” she said. “So I really feel like this is my second chance, and I am going to protest in every way I can.”

Her activism isn’t just reflected in her words – it’s on the cover of her books, too.

“The Book of Everyday Resistance” features a bold, vivid cover with a white woman’s middle finger, accented with a blazing red nail polish, as its focal point, symbolizing the defiance and female rage that Perkins said defines the book.

The clarity Perkins gained from surviving cancer now fuels her publishing and advocacy: she teaches a journaling workshop for breast cancer patients at Mount Sinai and mentors Manhattan University students through publishing internships.

 Perkins is applying to join the board of Lambda Literary, a leading LGBTQ+ organization she describes as “the Oscars of the LGBT literary world.” Her next project is an online exhibit based on the Nazi-era degenerate art show in Berlin, which featured condemned modernist works deemed politically subversive or “anti-German” –  leading to the confiscation of artists' works, like Picasso and Kandinsky.

“A lot of people have said to me, ‘You know, what if you get on a sh– list?’ Perkins said. “And I just tell people, I survived cancer. If doing this is the thing that takes me out, I'd rather go out like this.”