Last week, we threw a book release party for someone very special- Marilyn Swander. Nearing ninety, she spent years as an elementary school teacher and even more writing stories for her twenty-two grand- and great-grandchildren . Somewhere along the way, I realized that Grandma’s stories deserve a bigger audience. My mom did too, and I started this publishing imprint to make it happen. 

I’m proud to say that Grammy Mare Stories: A New Life, by Marilyn L. Swander, is the first book available from Smoky Row Press on paperback. You can buy it right this second here. 

Smoky Row Press is thrilled to announce the publication of Marilyn Swander’s Grammy Mare Stories: A New Life on the Amazon Kindle platform with a paperback edition coming soon.

Smoky Row Press takes its name from an old Anderson Township schoolhouse in Madison County, Indiana. A two-room school, it was named Brown either due to its location on what later became Brown Street in Anderson or as a reference to the family that gave the thoroughfare its name. The Smoky Row moniker came from an early resident walking to town one chilly morning. Noting the chimneys warming the area’s houses, he described the scene as a “smoky row”. The name stuck.

Smoky Row Press is an independent publisher dedicated to preserving history, uncovering forgotten stories, and exploring the landscapes of the Midwest. Founded by Ted Shideler, our press is rooted in a passion for storytelling that bridges the past and present. Smoky Row Press brings overlooked narratives to life through meticulous research and compelling prose.