A Year in Review
Collaborating with Our University
Athabasca University Press is Canada’s first open access scholarly press. Grounded by Athabasca University’s Like No Other strategic plan, AU Press advances a shared commitment to access, opportunity, and community. Our mandate to expand reach and impact through open access publishing is strengthened by Athabasca University’s identity as an open institution. Working alongside colleagues from across the university, the AU Press team brings expertise and experience from the scholarly and publishing ecosystems to advance shared institutional priorities in ways that are truly like no other.
Remix: OER Imprint
The AU Press Remix imprint focuses on publishing open educational resources written or adapted by Athabasca University faculty for use in AU courses. This imprint advances Athabasca University’s aim to make university and knowledge accessible to everyone. The works published under this imprint are licensed under Creative Commons licences and are freely available at Remix and through OER repositories. Physical copies of Remix OER are also available in print-on-demand. AU Press has always been known for our unique approach to publication and our commitment to open access. This imprint showcases our ongoing commitment to advancing innovative approaches in digital publishing.
“We’re told over and over again that critical thinking is of urgent importance in our work lives, for thinking about the environment, or solving geopolitical problems, but how are we really mobilizing our knowledge into communities so that they can access high-quality academically sound materials that will help reach these goals? Access to open educational resources is one piece of this puzzle. Having Athabasca University at the forefront of this in Canada just makes sense. Here’s to more remixing!”
—Kristin Rodier, author of Critical Thinking, Logic, and Argument
Writing in Residence Book Series
AU Press’s Writing in Residence book series showcases the remarkable talents of Athabasca University’s writers in residence, resulting in works presented in a variety of genres from essays and personal reflections to memoir, poetry, and conversational interviews. This series includes Steven Heighton’s The Virtues of Disillusionment, Indigiqueerness: A Conversation about Storytelling by Joshua Whitehead in dialogue with Angie Abdou, Writing Ukraine by Myrna Kostash, and, the latest, My Works, Ye Mighty by Christian Bök (March 2025). Bök’s contribution to the series is an essay that addresses the concept of “scale” in poetry, meditating on this topic with an abundance of imagery. Appearing alongside the essay is an epic poem especially written for this publication. Each copy of this book is unique as the cover, designed by Natalie Olsen, shows a small grain of sand, gradually magnified from a dot that expands over the series of 500 copies to fill the cover.
Collaborating with Our Authors
AU Press publishes exceptional works of scholarship and has strong lists in the areas of distance education, labour studies, social and economic justice, and the environment. We maintain a particular interest in often neglected forms of social and cultural history and in works that experiment with narrative form and/or challenge received wisdom.
Our authors benefit from our commitment to editorial excellence, thoughtful design, accessibility, and creative and comprehensive marketing. Our open access distribution model ensures our books are widely read in both print and digital formats.
Author Testimonials
AU Press Books in the News
A few highlights from the many reviews of AU Press books that appeared this year.
Journal Program
Offering provocative and stimulating questions and insights about social justice movements, power and relationships, [Political Activist Ethnography] is well worth the read..”
—Joe Kadi, Alberta Views
Collaborating with Our Readers
AU Press is committed to the free, immediate, and permanent online access to a publication’s version of record. All our books can be read online or downloaded as a free PDF. Our commitment to access also influences our pricing of the print edition and other digital editions. To protect our publications and the rights of our authors, we release all material under a Creative Commons license.
2025 most downloaded books
Accessible Ebooks: Maintaining Our Commitment to Access
AU Press is one of a growing number of organizations worldwide that is a certified producer of accessible publications. The Press achieved its initial certification through Benetech and re-affirmed it in 2025 through the eBound Digital Certification program. This certification program recognizes Canadian publishers who produce ebook files that meet or exceed the latest global accessibility and quality standards. Open access is a guiding principle at AU Press and making our books available to those with varied perceptual (print) abilities is another way for us to remove barriers to knowledge and serve a wider community of readers.
Certified Canadian Publisher Program
The Certified Canadian Publisher program was launched in 2025 to help readers easily identify books published in Canada by Canadians. As a publicly funded press that meets the professional standards set by our regional and national publishing associations, we are pleased to participate in this program. The support of our Canadian readers and authors is immensely important to us, and we are excited to have a way to showcase this connection in our books and on our website. Look for the Certified Canadian Publisher seal on the back of our latest books.
Social Impact of Our Books
We bring AU Press books and journals to the public in a variety of ways. In addition to the standard tools of wide distribution and targeted marketing, we take care to build our publishing program and its profile on social media, where the value of our open access mandate is just one click away. We also play an active role in our industry and publishing community by participating in organizations that seek to develop sustainable scholarly publishing models, to advance the open access movement, and to highlight the role of writing and publishing in the creation of a vibrant and diverse society.
One Year Since Publication:
Resisting the Dehumanization of Refugees
Refugees face distinct challenges and are often subject to dehumanization by politicians, media, and the public. In this context, Resisting the Dehumanization of Refugees provides urgent insights and policy relevant perspectives to improve refugees’ social well-being and integration.
Since its publication in May 2024, the book has generated meaningful scholarly and community impact. It was awarded the Canadian Studies Network Best Edited Collection Prize, recognizing its national contribution. It was also shortlisted for a Book Cover Design Award at the Alberta Book Publishing Awards, highlighting our commitment to accessible and compelling design.
This book has made an impact beyond the academic community. The launch, held in in conjunction with the Canadian Ethnic Studies Association conference at the University of Alberta in November 2024, brought together community members, researchers, and students. Co-editor Yasmeen Abu-Laban spoke with the Bridging Divides about the importance of the book and why it was important to include the voices of refugees.
This volume continues to shape discussions about refugee rights in Canada and beyond.
“This book holds a wealth of lessons that can make all of us—as neighbours, policymakers, scholars, or nation‐states—into better versions of ourselves for the benefit of refugees past, present, and future.”—Jennifer M. Holzer, Canadian Geographies
Ten Years Since Publication:
We Are Coming Home: Repatriation and the Restoration of Blackfoot Cultural Confidence
In 2015, we published We Are Coming Home: Repatriation and the Restoration of Blackfoot Cultural Confidence edited by Gerald T. Conaty. This book marked a significant contribution to national and international conversations of repatriation. Contributor Robert Janes notes that “Although the idea for the book was the result of a restaurant conversation, it is actually the culmination of an evolving, 10-year relationship between the Glenbow Museum (Calgary, Alberta) and the four First Nations of the Blackfoot Confederacy – a process of reciprocity, deepening understanding, and mutual appreciation.”
Launched in partnership with the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, the book fostered meaningful dialogue between museums and Indigenous communities. Its impact extended into public discourse, including a feature on CBC Daybreak with contributor Frank Weasel Head and reviews in nearly fifteen publications.
A decade later, it remains an important resource as shown by its inclusion in “More than Giving Back: Repatriation Toolkit” produced by the Canadian Museums Association (2022). The work of repatriation is ongoing and the Blackfoot community continues to do this important work. Most recently, the Siksika Nation repatriated two ribstones from the Canadian Museum of History. “Bringing home our objects is also a significant historical event because our spirits are coming home. And then we’ll become whole as a Siksika Nation,” noted Shannon Bear Chief to CBC.
Collaborating with Communities
Scholarly
Our commitment to the scholarly community extends beyond publications. We serve our scholarly community by participating in conversations and research about the latest developments in open access and scholarship. We share our expertise and experiences in these spaces through presentations and talks. Additionally, we work to ensure our authors and books are visible in relevant spaces. Over the last year, our books, staff, and authors have appeared at the following conferences:
- AECT 2025 International Convention
- American Anthropological Association
- American Political Science Association
- American Society for Environmental History
- American Society for Legal History
- Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning
- BC Library Association
- Canadian Anthropology Society (CASCA)
- Canadian Institute of Planners and Ontario Professional Planners Institute
- Canadian Military History Colloquium
- Congress of the Social Sciences and Humanities
- Digital Pedagogy Institute
- Feminisms and Rhetorics
- First Nations Schools Association
- International Studies Association
- Law and Society Association
- Metropolis Canadian Conference
- Native American and Indigenous Studies Association (NAISA)
- Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association
- Parkland Institute Annual Fall Conference
- Prairie Political Science Association
- RGS-IBG Annual International Conference for Geographers
- UBC Indigenous Graduate Students Symposium
- Urban Affairs Association
Local
International
Publishing
AU Press is a member of a number of industry organizations and staff currently serve on the following boards and committees:
Book Publishers Association of Alberta
- Board Member
- Strategic Planning Committee
- Professional Development Committee (chair)
- Library Committee
Association of Canadian Publishers
- Higher Education Committee
Association of Canadian University Presses
- Open Access Committee
Research Impact Canada
- Implementation Committee
- Governance Committee
- Member Engagement Committee
Association of University Presses
- Editorial, Design and Production Committee
