About

SNAKE DOCTOR PRESS evolved from Junior Deputy Press, an imprint established by Berneta L. Haynes in 2015. Launched in 2020, Snake Doctor Press is based in Atlanta, Georgia, and derives its name from the southern nickname for dragonflies. In some southern folklore, dragonflies or “snake doctors” are believed to follow snakes around and stitch or mend them when they are wounded. These snake doctors take a special interest in those creatures that remain in the shadows, often viewed as too weird or different. 

As its name suggests, Snake Doctor Press values authors who often remain in the shadows of traditional publishing. We favor queer and BIPOC authors, particularly those centering idiosyncratic storylines that convey underlying realities of class, race, gender, or sexuality. We appreciate stories that do not fit snugly within any one genre, such as stories that thrust off-the-beaten-track protagonists into otherwise typical scenarios, stories that juxtapose run-of-the-mill protagonists with innovative narratives, and stories that generally ask us to question the nature and role of storytelling. In everything that we publish, we seek to honor the authors, narratives, and characters who too often reside in the shadows of mainstream imagination.