About Dagger Editions

About Dagger Editions

Our Mandate

Dagger Editions, an imprint of Caitlin Press, is dedicated to publishing literary fiction, non-fiction and poetry by and about queer women (those who identify as queer women, including trans women or trans men, or anyone who includes this in their personal history).

Our History

When pride was a form of protest, when the closet was all we had, when those words hurt us the most, when the only books we had were about biology. We exist now with thanks to all of you who came before us.

Our Future

To all those who still protest, to all those still closeted, to all those reclaim our words and language, to all those who are still writing us into existence. We publish for all of you who will come after us.

What is a Dagger?

The “dagger" part of Dagger Editions is a reclamation of the derogatory words, “dagger dyke", “bull dagger", “bull dyke" and “diesel dyke", all synonymous in their labelling of lesbians who present themselves in an assertive, dominating manner. While we may commonly use the term “butch" nowadays, the naming of this literary imprint, Dagger Editions, pays tribute to the motorcycle gangs and other highly visible icons of queer pride that helped launch the modern civil-rights movements for queer people across Canada.

Learn more about “Dykes on Bikes"