Sibling Rivalry Press

Sibling Rivalry Press is a publishing house based in North Little Rock (Pulaski County). Founded in 2010 by Bryan Borland, the press is run by Borland and his husband, Seth Pennington. Sibling Rivalry Press has received recognition for its literary merit and its focus on providing a platform for LGBTQ+ voices in Arkansas and beyond.

Born in Dumas (Desha County) in 1979, Borland grew up in Monticello (Drew County). At age thirteen, he lost his older brother following a car accident. The name Sibling Rivalry Press was chosen to honor his brother and recognize the impact the loss had on Borland, on both a personal and an artistic level. The press began by publishing Borland’s own debut poetry collection, My Life as Adam.

Sibling Rivalry Press’s first book by another author was Ocean Vuong’s 2010 debut poetry chapbook, Burnings. The press has continued to publish poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, focusing on LGBTQ+ writers, though not exclusively. As the press has stated on its website: “While we champion our LGBTQ authors and artists…we are an inclusive publishing house and welcome all authors, artists, and readers regardless of sexual orientation or identity.”

The press has published writers from all over the world and has also focused on Arkansans through its Arkansas Queer Poets Series, which began in 2018. The first book in the series, Randi Romo’s Othered, was listed as a top-ten book on the American Library Association’s 2018 Over the Rainbow booklist.

Sibling Rivalry Press has published three literary journals—Assaracus: A Journal of Gay Poetry, Adrienne: A Poetry Journal of Queer Women, and Callisto (formerly known as Jonathan), a journal focused on queer fiction. In 2025, Assaracus was re-launched with the subtitle A Journal of Gay and Queer Poetry, its scope expanded to include all LGBTQIA+-identified poets.

Sibling Rivalry Press has won Lambda Literary Awards in Gay Poetry and Lesbian Poetry, becoming the first press to win both prizes. The press was the first to publish acclaimed writers such as Ocean Vuong, Kaveh Akbar, and Saeed Jones. It has also published established writers such as Carl Phillips, who went on to win the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry. In 2015, the Library of Congress chose to induct all of Sibling Rivalry Press’s past and future printed titles into its Rare Books and Special Collections Vault.

For additional information:
Bryan Borland. https://www.bryanborland.com/ (accessed April 2, 2026).

Clancy, Sean. “Press Forward: Arkansas Publisher Gives a Voice to LGBTQ Authors Who Might Not Have Been Published Otherwise.” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, December 15, 2019. https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2019/dec/15/press-forward-20191215/ (accessed April 2, 2026).

Sibling Rivalry Press. https://www.siblingrivalrypress.com/ (accessed January 27, 2026).

Smith, Cait. “Pushing Publishing beyond Limits.” Daily Record, January 20–26, 2020, p. 13.

Stephenson, Will. “Steal This Book.” Arkansas Times, July 30, 2015, pp. 24–25. Online at https://arktimes.com/news/cover-stories/2015/07/30/steal-this-book (accessed January 27, 2026).

SJ DeYoung
Central Arkansas Library System