University Press of Kansas Launches Plainspoken Books

Sep 03, 2025

The University Press of Kansas has announced the launch of Plainspoken Books, a new nonfiction trade imprint focusing on “bringing Midwest stories into national conversations,” according to the publisher. The imprint will be led by editor Alec Loganbill.

“As a lifelong Kansan, I recognize the cultural value of the often-understimated Midwest,” Loganbill said in a statement. “It is truly exciting to create an imprint that brings together the incredibly talented authors, journalists, and storytellers from the Midwest.”

Plainspoken’s debut title will be Whirlwind by Chicago newsman Bill Kurtis, slated to publish this month. In the fall of 2026, the imprint will release My Name Was Baby: An Intersex Memoir by Kansas City-based author Chris Arnone and God’s Misfits by journalist Max McCoy. Other titles under contract include The Prairie Fool by former Kansas poet laureate Huascar Medina and In the Shadow of Trump by veteran reporter and editor Clay Wirestone.

Loganbill is currently accepting proposals at all stages from agents and authors.

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