Khajistan Leads the Program at Pioneer Works’ Press Play 2025 Book Fair in Brooklyn
by Khajistan Cultural Desk
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Khajistan Press is heading to Brooklyn this December for Press Play 2025 at Pioneer Works
The sixth edition of Press Play, a weekend-long fair of books, records, art, ephemera, talks and workshops, returns Saturday–Sunday, December 13–14, 2025, from 12–7 PM at Pioneer Works in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
Press Play 2025 at Pioneer Works. Photo shared by Pioneer Works.
We are stoked to be the featured exhibitor this year presenting a program including:
- A special salon spotlighting our gay-mid-2000s blog anthology Karachi, After Midnight Vol. 1.
- The launch of Smut of the Middle World, Volume 1: Pakistan, a curated collection of banned erotic magazines and underground print culture from 1960s–2000s Pakistan — translated, contextualised, and resurrected for present-day audiences.
Khajistan x Press Play. Photo by Pioneer Works.
We’re also releasing the official limited-edition Khajistan x Press Play tote bag, inspired by 1970s call-girl ads—a visual nod to the defiant print aesthetics forged under decades of censorship and dictatorship in Pakistan.
Press Play 2025 is curated by Micaela Durand (Associate Director of Publishing at Pioneer Works) and brings together over 130 artists, writers, musicians, publishers, and exhibitors who defy easy classification.
Beyond our own table, the fair includes—among many other features—a lounge designed by Zabu (inspired by traditional Japanese zabuton), a special-edition show paper by Gunk, a limited-edition scarf from Secret Riso Club x Press Play, and the debut of Broadcast Issue 03.
Ticket info: Saturday’s entry costs $10; there is also a $30 “Limited Edition Ticket Bundle” that includes two-day access, the Khajistan x Press Play bag, and a copy of Broadcast Issue 03 (while supplies last). Sunday, December 14 is free and open to the public, with registration.
Please mark your calendars for December 13–14. We’ll soon share our table number, signing times, and a first glimpse inside Smut of the Middle World.
Watch our social channels for updates. See you at Press Play.
Images and videos from the event
View images and videos from the event on the Khajistan Press Instagram page.
Images from Press Play 2025 at Pioneer Works.
