Our Story
An independent press, anchored in place.
Inland Sea Press publishes books rooted in the landscapes and communities of the Great Lakes and Appalachia — stories that build connection, kindle empathy, and celebrate the light that endures.
Our Story
From the heartland, outward.
Inland Sea Press was founded in the conviction that the middle of the country — its lakes, its hollers, its small congregations and quiet harbors — has more to say than the trade has time to publish.
We take our name from what the French voyageurs called the Great Lakes: une mer intérieure, an inland sea. It is a fitting name for a publisher of long, attentive books — work that asks readers to stay with the weather a while.
Our list grows slowly and on purpose. We publish memoir, spiritual writing, regional literature, and the kind of nonfiction that takes the reader by the elbow rather than by the lapels.
Great Lakes Heritage
Books shaped by the weather, harbors, and shorelines of the inland sea.
Appalachian Roots
Voices from the hollers, ridges, and small towns of a much-misread region.
Literature as Empathy
A belief that careful reading is one of the last places we still meet each other.
Founder
Brent Whetstone
Founder & Publisher
Brent Whetstone is an author, chaplain, bishop, and advocate whose work explores faith, healing, community, and the power of human stories. Through Inland Sea Press, he seeks to elevate voices that inspire reflection, renewal, and hope.