Black Hearts Publishing is a peer-reviewed independent publishing house based in Central Iowa. We support writers and readers with hardback, paperback, and ebook options. Our books are available here or on Amazon.
To submit your work, you can email us at blackheartspublish@gmail.com or message us on Facebook.
If you represent a library, bookstore, or other institution/organization, please email blackheartspublish@gmail.com to order books at a discount typical for your entity.
Sami Strait, Owner and Editor
After many years as an intern for Culicidae Press, I founded this project called Black Hearts Publishing. In 2024 I started as the editor for Culicidae Press, and I have loved every second of it. I have met some amazing authors and have learned so much.
As far back as I can remember, I always had a book in my hands. No matter what genre, I appreciate the hard work and creativity authors put into their art. My bookshelf has a broad range of genres anywhere from Bram Stoker to J. D. Salinger, contemporary romance, and psychological thrillers.
Mikesch Muecke, Editor
Mikesch Muecke, editor at Black Hearts Publishing and chief editor at Culicidae Press, grew up in Germany in the small hamlet of Spork-Eichholz (now Detmold) within sight of Hermann, the Cherusci chief’s statue in the Teutoburg forest. After completing his secondary education in the Engelbert-Kämpfer Gymnasium (German high school) in the renaissance town of Lemgo, he traveled through Canada, the United States, and Mexico, learning—and appreciating—what it means to live with few resources but many experiences.
He returned to Germany for five years to complete his civic service, working as a maintenance man in an orphanage and living in a commune and a renovated circus trailer, before moving to the United States for good. There he started his academic career, earning first a Bachelor of Design (Major in Architecture) and then a professional Master of Architecture degree from the University of Florida (1989 and 1991). After teaching for a year at Iowa State University, he moved to the east coast, where he earned a Master of Science in Architectural History and Theory (1995), and a Ph.D. in Architectural History and Theory (2000) from Princeton University.From 1995 until 2025—and when he’s not elbow-deep into editing, designing, and publishing books—he taught design studios, history/theory seminars, and advanced courses on digital applications in the Architecture Department at Iowa State University. Since 2025 he is working full-time for Culicidae Press and its imprints from their main office in Madison, Wisconsin.
As polytekton he maintains a design/build practice and continues to create at every scale, from photographs and posters via books and pamphlets to full scale interior designs and small buildings. More information about his design work can be found online at polytekton.com. He has published several books through his personal imprint at Obvious Press. For more information click here.