Founded in 1941 in Detroit, Mich., Wayne State University Press has cultivated deep relationships with readers across the city and the state—connections that remain integral to its culture and heritage. Led by director Stephanie L. Williams, the press is primarily concerned with books that advance discourse among humanities and social science scholars. With a staff of 10, it publishes 30 new books and as many as 30 issues of 12 academic journals each year.
The press prioritizes the inclusion of minoritized communities, which has helped to shape its Detroit and regional studies lists, and draws its series advisory boards from community organizations such as the Black Bottom Archive, the Detroit Historical Society, and Allied Media Projects. The press is expanding its highly regarded Jewish studies list to include Mizrahi studies and the global south and is also publishing trade books in this subject area. Its creative nonfiction, poetry, and fiction lists now have an advisory board of predominately women writers of color, and the press hopes to support the Detroit Center for Black Studies by expanding and enlivening its Black studies list.
The press shares Wayne State University’s mission to disseminate knowledge and support a diverse student body while enhancing the international reputation of both the press and the university. Releasing books of lasting significance is important to the press. Among such works are The Spook Who Sat By the Door by Sam Greenlee, a title that continues to sell, in two editions, 40 years after it was first published; Latin via Ovid, by Jacob E. Nyenhuis and Norma W. Goldman, a definitive text for learning Latin, first released in 1977; and Techno Rebels by Dan Sicko, a survey of Detroit’s music scene that explores the evolution of house and techno music.
Marquee titles from the press that exemplify this year’s #StepUP theme include For Times Such as These by Ariana Katz and Jessica Rosenberg, a contemporary companion to the Jewish annual cycle and a revolutionary guide to the Jewish experience that’s rooted in social justice, feminism, and queer liberation and is also the press’s bestselling new book of 2024. Also of note are We Live Here by Lois Beardslee, a beautifully illustrated collection of poems by an Anishinaabe author, and When Detroit Played the Numbers by Felicia B. George, which centers on important Black history in Detroit that has been omitted from history books.
Noteworthy releases in 2025 are The Civility Book by Nolan Finley and Stephen Henderson, with Lynne Golodner, a conversational guide to maintaining respectful relationships across the political, religious, and cultural divides, and The Promise of Language by Keith Gilyard, the anticipated memoir of a renowned Black scholar of rhetoric and his coming of age in Harlem, amid the Black Power movement. Beyond Refuge in Arab Detroit, edited by Yasmeen Hanoosh, Sally Howell, and Andrew Shryock, is the third book issued by the press that traces the progress and challenges of the Arab and Chaldean communities in Detroit over the last 20 years.
The press continues to evolve while building relationships that are integral to its growth. It has outsourced warehousing and fulfillment services to Hopkins Fulfillment Services and redesigned its website, and it continues to enthusiastically support independent bookstores.
