Revealed: Former progressive linked to far-right infiltration of publishing world

03 June

assorted book lot

In the past, Daniel Lisi — now a director at Foundation Publishing Group — interacted with a lot of liberals and progressives thanks to his involvement in Los Angeles' literary scene. But according to The Guardian's Jason Wilson, Foundation's new publishing deal with Passage Press gives Lisi a connection to the far right.

In an article published by The Guardian on June 3, Lisi explains, "The far-right U.S. publisher Passage Press is now part of Foundation Publishing Group and it is connected via a Foundation director, Daniel Lisi, to Network Press, whose only title to date is an 'effective accelerationist' manifesto by tech-right venture capitalist Marc Andreessen. Another right-wing publisher, science fiction publisher Ark Press, appears connected to Chapter House, which Lisi, a literary scenester in Los Angeles, originally co-founded as an independent publisher of poetry, sci-fi and esoterica, but which now presents itself as a homeschooling resource."

Wilson adds, "The developments illuminate the far right's efforts to disseminate ideologically charged material as art in the U.S., and raise questions about its place in the broader culture wars waged by the Trump Administration, which is carrying out a broad attack on what it sees as liberal culture…. Lisi, the publisher and director, spent years as a face in Los Angeles' diverse and left-leaning literary scene. He has now emerged as a player in a sprawling far-right cultural push, with his role in Foundation, Network, Passage and Ark revealed in company filings, trademarks, open-source materials and public records."

Lisi, according to Wilson, didn't respond to interview requests from The Guardian.

Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, finds the Passage/Foundation deal troubling and described it as "another example of the far right moving to directly impact culture, and especially young people, with extremist and anti-democratic beliefs."

Beirich told The Guardian, "These efforts represent another front in the culture wars, one that is pushing America further from democracy and equality and closer to autocratic rule.”

Passage, Wilson notes, was founded in 2021 by Jonathan Keeperman, who "long operated in far-right circles online under the online pseudonym 'L0m3z.'"

Read The Guardian's full article at this link.

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