CODY ROSS REX

Cody Ross Rex, a musician and poet from Brooklyn, New York, stands in front of a cool natural background

DREAMS of

ANIMALS

A new book of poetry that dances with myth and runs on the angst of mountains. It’s earthly and cosmic in equal measure

Available everywhere books are sold

July 7th, 2026

Book cover for 'Dreams of Animals' by Cody Ross Rex, featuring a blue background with abstract lines and circles, and a review of the work by Portland writer Adam Oyster-Sands

ORDER NOW

on Bookshop.org!

or order on Amazon

A band performing on stage with one member singing into a microphone and playing an electric guitar, another member playing an acoustic guitar in the background, under colorful stage lighting.
A person holding a photo of a young man with dark hair and a graphic t-shirt. The person in the background has glasses and is smiling.
Book cover titled "Dreams of Animals" by Cody Ross Rex, published by Friendly Monster Press in Portland, Oregon, USA, featuring a modern abstract design with black and teal colors, red circular lines, and pink diagonal lines.

IT’S NICE

IN SUMMER

IN PORTLAND

OREGON

A cartoon character with a human body and a head of rolled hair, wearing a suit and sitting at a desk.

Hello,
Thanks for coming to my website. The best way to support this press is by buying our books, preferably from Bookshop.org or having your local bookstore order it for you.

  • Thanks!

Colorful sidewalk pole with various posters, stickers, and artwork in a park-like setting with trees and residential houses in the background.
A park bench with graffiti and colorful drawings, situated on a sidewalk next to a grassy area with tall grass and bushes. In the background, there is a row of houses with trees, a street with parked cars, and overcast sky.
A wooden utility pole with attached stickers and a sign, surrounded by green shrubbery and plants. A residential street with steps and houses is visible in the background.
A sidewalk scene in a small town with a utility pole covered in flyers and notes, including one that says "WE BUILT WHATEVER THE OPPOSITE OF DOOM SCROLLINGS!". There are trees, storefronts, and parked cars along the street.
A sidewalk scene in a small town with a utility pole covered in flyers and notes, including one that says "WE BUILT WHATEVER THE OPPOSITE OF DOOM SCROLLINGS!". There are trees, storefronts, and parked cars along the street.
A street view with parked cars, a utility pole, storefronts with awnings, signs including a tattoo sign, benches, and a woman walking on the sidewalk under a partly cloudy sky.
A street view with parked cars, a utility pole, storefronts with awnings, signs including a tattoo sign, benches, and a woman walking on the sidewalk under a partly cloudy sky.
A blue flyer promoting free art by Jim Ether, available at friendlymonterpress.com, featuring a cartoon dog sitting on a bench, and a small illustration of a person with a dog head. Contains a QR code and the Friendly Monster Press logo.

  • Cody Ross Rex, a poet who is arguably more of a musician, is releasing his most recent collection of poetry called “Dreams of Animals” with Scott Cannon, who is arguably more of an artist than a publisher. Sounds right to me.

    This work is so strong. Every time I reread it, I’m struck both by how inventive and singular it is and also how timeless it feels (a similar experience to listening to Cody’s music). I can’t think of another book of poetry that’s both so fantastical and also completely human.

    We took our time laying it out, did things I’ve never done before (like an index of first lines in alphabetical order), and I’m super proud of it. I know Cody is as well.

    Preorder on Bookshop.org
    Preorder on     Amazon
    or Call your local bookstore and have them preorder it

    However you order it, thanks!

    *

    Erin Clarke’s new book of poetry, Absolutely Always, is available for order in both paperback and ebook!

    Available everywhere books are sold
    April 28th 2026

    *

    THE NEWEL POST, BOOK ONE
    Nonrepresentational Card Panels
    by Scott Cannon
    OUT NOW!

    Now available at SideStreet Arts Gallery!

    *

    Autumn Bettinger’s Belladonna will be out in September of 2026

    *

    You can check out covers and a blurb on each here

  • Jim Ether, who I respect very much as an artist, paints mimes. I asked Jimbo Ethero, who often gives me nicknames when I email him, to paint some mimes and he very kindly did so.

    With Jim’s permission (but noone else’s) I’m putting those mimes on telephone poles for free. Me and my assistant put six mimes up today in six different neighborhoods. Check the pics, finder’s keepers.

    Also, there’s an ART page on this very website if you’d prefer to stay indoors, a page of ART and pictures loosely affiliated with Scott Cannon.

  • Ya’ll, the event for Erin Clarke at Bold was a roaring success. The room was full of warmth and chatter before and after the reading, and everyone was super engaged while it was happening. Even the kids in the room did well to keep their games quiet.

    Buckman parents, PSU linguists, and the FMP faithful showed up in full force to hear Erin read from her new book.
    Before she went on, I (Scott) talked about FMP. I read a poem from Cody Ross Rex from his upcoming book, Dreams of Animals, called “Orgeins”. Autumn Bettinger was in attendance as well, and I mentioned Belladonna, which is coming out, promise.

    In the spirit of boldness, Erin didn’t have a set order for what she’d read but instead let the book decide which poems would make the cut.
    Vulnerable, honest, full to bursting with love: Erin’s reading was sweet and well received. Each poem a reminder of the beauty of homelife, of lifelife, as read in the author’s soothing voice.

    As always, we’re grateful to Bold for being a place where we can hold these kinds of art events. They have a ton of events every month, so check them out.

    *

    Doing a thing you think would be improved with our presence? That qualifies as good news, and you can email me at scottcannonpdx@gmail.com

A transparent snow globe with small figurines of three children and colorful flowers inside, sitting on a wooden surface, with lettered beads around its white base.

“PORTLAND PETAL SHOWER”

Snow Globe: Lego, glitter, and mason jar
Illly Cannon and Leana Mooradian

CODY ROSS REX
as
BOLD DOSES

new album:
Look Over the Vast Reaches of the Century

A person performing stand-up comedy on stage, holding a microphone, with an expressive facial expression and one arm raised.
A young man passionately singing or speaking into a microphone with an expressive face and raised arm in a black and white photo.
A man holding a microphone with an intense facial expression, raising his fist in the air, appearing to perform or speak passionately.
Young man performing stand-up comedy with a microphone, expressive face, and raised arm.
A young man smiling and holding a microphone, appearing to be singing or speaking passionately.
Person passionately speaking or singing into a microphone with an intense expression and raised fist, possibly at a performance or stand-up comedy event.
A smiling man with a beard and tattoos on his arms, wearing a white sleeveless Titos shirt, taking a selfie outdoors. There are yellow and brown buildings, trees, and a blue sky in the background.

I added 20 new colored pencil drawings to the ART page. Enjoy, if possible.

Also, here’s a link to a 250 word story I wrote this spring called “A Jay’s Jaw” for Writing Battle, which is a great community of writers in beautiful coopetition with themselves and to a lesser degree, each other.

A watercolor painting of a lush green forest with trees and vegetation, featuring a small wooden bridge in the foreground and a structure with a yellow exterior and red roof on the right side.
A colorful sketch of three orange and yellow tulips with green stems and leaves.
A hand-drawn sketch of a person with a wide smile wearing a hat, with three lines coming out of the hat, and hearts drawn on the side.
Hand drawn grid with colorful triangles, rectangles, and squares, some filled with solid colors like purple, green, yellow, pink, blue, and orange, with some black dots or marks, on pink paper.
An artistic illustration of a woman with purple skin and long limbs holding a small cup of tea. She wears a dark dress with white trim and a white apron. The background features soft pastel colors with watercolor effects.

Read Autumn Bettinger’s dramatic, 500 word, microfiction piece, “Simmering”,
available online for the first time on May 21st, 2026

2nd place winner in the prestegious NYCMidnight writing competition.

“Simmering” is tension - it moves - it stays in the kitchen.
You can see it and smell it, and you wonder how long before it burns.

A webpage titled 'nycmidnight' with a logo at the top. The page contains a section titled 'About the Author' with a circular photo of a woman with dark hair looking out a window, and text describing Autumn Bettinger, a fiction writer and mother from Portland, Oregon.

Absolutely Always

poems about love by

Erin
Clarke

Book cover titled 'Absolutely Always: Poems About Love' by Erin Clarke, featuring a colorful, mosaic-like pattern with various abstract shapes and colors.

Available everywhere books are sold

04-28-2026

ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY on Bookshop.org!

or order on Amazon

Erin Clarke

is a poet, linguist, and massage therapist. Her first book, (Im)perfect Blooms was published in 2023, and her writing has been featured in Wellspring Literary Magazine, The Pointed Circle, Bellwether Review, and elsewhere. She resides in Portland, Oregon with her husband, their two children, and a very floofy cat. 

A poster advertising a live poetry reading event at BOLD Coffee and Books on May 8th from 7pm to 8pm, featuring author Erin Clarke reading from her book 'Absolutely Always.' The poster includes a photograph of Erin Clarke, a book cover, and a logo for Friendly Monster Press.
Logo for Bold Coffee & Books with bold text and circular design in yellow and blue colors.
A social media review page for Adam Oyster-Sands, showing his profile picture, name, author tag, a five-star rating, review text praising the book 'Absolutely Always', and the review date of April 21, 2026.
A social media review page for Adam Oyster-Sands, showing his profile picture, name, author tag, a five-star rating, review text praising the book 'Absolutely Always', and the review date of April 21, 2026.
A display of books, with one titled 'Absolutely Always: Poems About Love' by Erin Clarke, placed upright in a stand with a patterned cover and many copies stacked below it. There are other books visible on a wooden table and shelf behind.

THE NEWEL POST, BOOK ONE
Nonrepresentational Card Panels
by Scott Cannon
Release Date: January 13, 2026

Cover of a book titled 'The Newel Post' by Scott Cannon, featuring a colorful geometric pattern background with various diamond shapes in red, green, orange, purple, and black. Includes subtitle 'Book One: Nonrepresentational Card Panels' and publisher 'Friendly Monster Press, Portland, OR, USA'.

ORDER NOW on Bookshop.org!

Or order on Amazon

Two men sitting in a bookstore surrounded by shelves filled with books. One man is wearing a red sweatshirt with white text and a cap, holding papers, and smiling. The other man has a beard, wearing a green and white baseball shirt, khaki pants, and pink sneakers, appearing to be speaking or explaining something. There are books and signs on the shelves behind them.
A display of ceramic art pieces arranged on a wooden shelf with a view of the street through large windows in the background.
Stacks of books titled 'The Newel Post' by Scott Cannon, displayed on a wooden table with plants nearby, in a bookstore or event space.
Logo for Bold Coffee & Books featuring bold blue text inside a circular yellow and navy border

“Building a Rainbow”
(Everyone is Awesome)
Stop motion by
Illy and Scott Cannon

“Box of Cars”
Stop motion by
Illy and Scott Cannon