Host Raja Aderdor speaks with Ben Marcus from Goodbye Press, in a conversation that explores the realities of independent publishing and the material and editorial processes that shape it.
Based in Chicago, Goodbye Press is an independent publishing house known for its strong visual identity and commitment to print culture. Working across books, printed matter, and risograph production, the press operates at the intersection of publishing, design, and contemporary visual culture.
Together, they reflect on the origins of Goodbye Press, tracing its evolution from an informal creative project into an established independent publishing house. The discussion examines the relationship between print production, editorial identity, and visual language, considering how small presses develop distinct publishing practices rooted in experimentation and creative commitment. It also highlights the role of risograph printing within independent publishing, and how material choices shape the way books are produced, circulated, and experienced.
The conversation moves across questions of publishing ecosystems, exploring how independent presses operate not only as producers of books, but as spaces of collaboration, aesthetic inquiry, and cultural exchange. It considers how editorial and design decisions reflect broader ways of thinking, and how independent publishing can redefine the relationships between makers, texts, and audiences.
This episode is in collaboration with Tasmeem Doha 2026: Transmit.
Relay, a podcast from
Clavis Aurea Podcasts, explores the people and processes behind publishing, art, and cultural production. Through conversations with people working across the cultural sector, the podcast looks at how ideas move from concept to physical form through books, exhibitions, and printed production. At its core, Relay focuses on the creative chain behind cultural work. Writers, editors, designers, photographers, publishers, printers, and institutions each play a role in bringing ideas into the world.
Interested in collaborating or being part of the podcast? Reach out through the
Clavis Aurea social media channels or contact the team directly.
What is Relay?
Relay, hosted by Raja Aderdor, is a podcast built around conversations with the people who shape publishing, art, and culture. In each episode, publishers, photographers, designers, artists, writers, and curators come together to reflect on their work, their creative processes, and the ideas that eventually take form in books, exhibitions, and printed matter.
We are Clavis Aurea: a dynamic team of publishing professionals working on innovative marketing and communication in the industry. Based in Leiden, we eat, sleep, and breathe publishing.