Two Dollar Radio

Two Dollar Radio is a family-run independent publishing brand headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 2005 by husband-and-wife publishers Eric Obenauf and Eliza Jane Wood-Obenauf together with Brian Obenauf, the press developed a reputation for publishing unconventional, formally ambitious, and culturally adventurous literary fiction. Its catalogue has included novels and other works by writers such as Rudolph Wurlitzer, Gary Indiana, Jay Neugeboren, Joshua Mohr, Grace Krilanovich, Barbara Browning, Bennett Sims, and Sarah Rose Etter. The press’s identity is rooted in independent editorial selection and a strong relationship between literature, visual art, and alternative culture. It has occasionally commissioned or featured work by outside artists for book jackets and interior materials, including Barbara Kruger, Lynn Davis, Aubrey Rhodes, Mat Brinkman, Michael Salerno, and Ricardo Cavolo. This visual approach complements a publishing list associated with experimental fiction, literary risk-taking, and authors working outside conventional commercial categories. Two Dollar Radio’s books have received notable critical attention and literary recognition. Its publications have appeared on award lists and recommendation lists associated with organizations and publications including the National Book Foundation, the Lambda Literary Awards, the Bard Fiction Prize, the International Dublin Literary Award, The Believer, NPR, and The New York Times Book Review. The press also reissued several Rudolph Wurlitzer novels and published his first new novel in more than two decades, helping reinforce its role as both a platform for emerging writers and a steward of important contemporary literature. In 2013, Two Dollar Radio expanded beyond books by launching Two Dollar Radio Moving Pictures, a micro-budget film division. The initiative was intended to develop films connected to the press’s literary and artistic sensibility. Projects announced during the division’s early period included I'm Not Patrick, The Removals, and The Greenbrier Ghost. In 2017, the company helped co-found The Flyover Fest, an annual arts festival in Columbus. Later that year, it opened Two Dollar Radio Headquarters on the city’s south side. The physical location combines a bookstore, full bar, performance space, vegan coffeehouse, and cafe. It sells Two Dollar Radio titles alongside a predominantly independent selection of books, extending the brand from a publisher into a community-oriented cultural venue. Eric Obenauf and Eliza Jane Wood-Obenauf retain ownership of the Headquarters property and business. Two Dollar Radio has been distributed in the United States and Canada by PGW and in the United Kingdom by Turnaround Publisher Services. In April 2025, Seven Stories Press acquired the publishing imprint, making it the New York-based independent publisher’s fourth imprint. The acquisition did not end Two Dollar Radio’s independent identity: the press remained an independent-facing imprint, while Obenauf and Wood-Obenauf continued in editorial roles. Its overall positioning combines small-press independence, literary experimentation, artistically distinctive book production, and locally rooted cultural programming.

Two Dollar Radio was established in 2005 in Columbus, Ohio, by Eric Obenauf, Eliza Jane Wood-Obenauf, and Brian Obenauf. It was conceived as a family-run independent press with a particular interest in literary fiction that challenged conventional publishing categories. Rather than concentrating on broadly commercial genres, the press built its catalogue around writers whose work was formally unusual, stylistically demanding, or associated with experimental and alternative literary communities. The press’s early catalogue included works by established figures and emerging authors. It reissued Rudolph Wurlitzer’s novels Nog, Flats, and Quake, and published The Drop Edge of Yonder, his first novel in 24 years. Other authors associated with the list included Gary Indiana, Jay Neugeboren, Francis Levy, Joshua Mohr, Grace Krilanovich, Barbara Browning, Bennett Sims, and Sarah Rose Etter. Several books earned significant critical or institutional recognition. The Drop Edge of Yonder received strong year-end attention, while Neugeboren’s 1940 reached the long list for the International Dublin Literary Award. Joshua Mohr’s novels received national review and recommendation attention, and Krilanovich’s The Orange Eats Creeps was recognized by the National Book Foundation through its 5 Under 35 program. Browning, Sims, and other authors likewise received literary awards or finalist placements. Two Dollar Radio also developed a recognizable visual identity. The press worked with outside artists and photographers on selected jackets and book interiors. Contributors included Barbara Kruger, Lynn Davis, Aubrey Rhodes, Mat Brinkman, Michael Salerno of Kiddiepunk, and Ricardo Cavolo. These collaborations helped distinguish its books in the independent publishing market and reinforced the connection between experimental writing and contemporary visual art. The company attracted industry attention relatively early. In 2008, its publishers were profiled in Publishers Weekly’s 50 Under 40 feature, which highlighted younger figures in publishing. Later commentary from literary and cultural publications described Two Dollar Radio as an unusually adventurous or influential independent press. Its distribution network covered the United States and Canada through PGW and the United Kingdom through Turnaround Publisher Services. In 2013, the press expanded into film with the creation of Two Dollar Radio Moving Pictures. The division focused on micro-budget productions and reflected the founders’ broader interest in independent storytelling. Early projects announced for development included I'm Not Patrick, written and intended to be directed by Eric Obenauf; The Removals, written by Nicholas Rombes and intended to be directed by Grace Krilanovich; and The Greenbrier Ghost, written and intended to be directed by Scott McClanahan and Chris Oxley. Two Dollar Radio broadened its community role in 2017 by co-founding The Flyover Fest, an annual arts festival in Columbus. That September, it opened Two Dollar Radio Headquarters on the city’s south side. The venue combined retail bookselling with hospitality and live programming: it included a bookstore, full bar, performance space, vegan coffeehouse, and cafe. The shop carried the press’s own titles as well as books from a largely independent publishing ecosystem. The Headquarters became a physical expression of the press’s editorial and cultural mission, linking books, performance, food, and local arts activity. In April 2025, Seven Stories Press acquired Two Dollar Radio and made it the fourth imprint of the New York-based independent publisher. The transaction changed the imprint’s corporate affiliation but preserved continuity in its editorial leadership and independent character. Eric Obenauf and Eliza Jane Wood-Obenauf remained involved as editors, while they retained ownership of Two Dollar Radio Headquarters. The brand therefore continues to combine a specialized literary publishing list with an independent cultural venue and a history of experimentation across books, film, visual art, and live events.

• 2025

  Acquisition by Seven Stories Press

  [1]Two Dollar Radioen.wikipedia.org

  Seven Stories Press acquires Two Dollar Radio, which becomes its fourth imprint while retaining continuity in editorial leadership.

• 2017

  The Flyover Fest is co-founded

  [1]Two Dollar Radioen.wikipedia.org

  Two Dollar Radio helps establish an annual arts festival in Columbus.

• 2017

  Two Dollar Radio Headquarters opens

  [1]Two Dollar Radioen.wikipedia.org

  The company opens a hybrid bookstore, bar, performance venue, vegan coffeehouse, and cafe in Columbus.

• 2013

  Two Dollar Radio Moving Pictures is launched

  [1]Two Dollar Radioen.wikipedia.org

  The company forms a micro-budget film division and announces several projects in development.

• 2008

  Founders receive Publishers Weekly recognition

  [1]Two Dollar Radioen.wikipedia.org

  The publishers are profiled in Publishers Weekly’s 50 Under 40 feature for younger publishing professionals.

• 2005

  Two Dollar Radio is founded

  [1]Two Dollar Radioen.wikipedia.org

  Eric Obenauf, Eliza Jane Wood-Obenauf, and Brian Obenauf establish the family-run independent press in Columbus, Ohio.

An independent literary and cultural publisher focused on adventurous fiction, distinctive design, emerging and established experimental writers, and community-based arts programming.

• Books · 2005

  Literary fiction catalogue

  Two Dollar Radio’s core offering is a catalogue of literary fiction, with an emphasis on experimental, unconventional, and artistically ambitious writing. The list has included both new work and reissues by established authors, including Rudolph Wurlitzer, Gary Indiana, Jay Neugeboren, Joshua Mohr, Grace Krilanovich, Barbara Browning, Bennett Sims, and Sarah Rose Etter. The books are often positioned for readers interested in independent literature and work outside mainstream commercial formulas.

• Film · 2013

  Two Dollar Radio Moving Pictures

  Launched in 2013, Moving Pictures is the company’s micro-budget film division. It extended Two Dollar Radio’s independent publishing ethos into cinema and was associated with projects including I'm Not Patrick, The Removals, and The Greenbrier Ghost. The division reflects the brand’s broader interest in unconventional storytelling and creator-led production.

• Bookstore and cultural venue · 2017

  Two Dollar Radio Headquarters

  Two Dollar Radio Headquarters is a Columbus venue combining a bookstore, full bar, performance space, vegan coffeehouse, and cafe. It sells Two Dollar Radio publications alongside a largely independent selection of books and provides a physical setting for literary and cultural activity. Eric Obenauf and Eliza Jane Wood-Obenauf retain ownership of the Headquarters after the imprint’s acquisition by Seven Stories Press.

• 2017The Flyover Fest

  Columbus, Ohio

  Two Dollar Radio co-founded The Flyover Fest, an annual Columbus arts festival that extended the press’s literary mission into broader cultural programming.

  Outcome. The festival became an ongoing annual arts event according to the reference material.

  Source

• 2025

  Acquisition by Seven Stories PressM&A

  Background

  Seven Stories Press expanded its independent publishing portfolio by acquiring Two Dollar Radio.

  Action taken

  The acquisition made Two Dollar Radio Seven Stories Press’s fourth imprint, while Eric Obenauf and Eliza Jane Wood-Obenauf retained editorial roles.

  Aftermath

  Two Dollar Radio remained an independent-facing imprint, and the founders retained ownership of Two Dollar Radio Headquarters.

  Source

• 2017

  Creation of a physical literary and hospitality venueStrategy

  Background

  The press sought to connect its publishing program with local arts, performance, bookselling, and community activity.

  Action taken

  Two Dollar Radio opened Headquarters in Columbus as a bookstore, bar, performance venue, vegan coffeehouse, and cafe.

  Aftermath

  The venue became a physical extension of the press and continued under ownership retained by Eric Obenauf and Eliza Jane Wood-Obenauf.

  Source

• 2013

  Expansion into micro-budget filmStrategy

  Background

  After operating primarily as an independent literary press, Two Dollar Radio pursued a broader role in independent storytelling and cultural production.

  Action taken

  The company created Two Dollar Radio Moving Pictures and announced several films in development.

  Aftermath

  The move expanded the brand’s activities beyond book publishing, although the later status of the announced projects is not established in the reference material.

  Source

1. 1Two Dollar Radioen.wikipedia.org