Sad Bird is a photo book imprint and sound art publisher run by Jeff Smudde. It started in 2019 as a way to self-publish curated group zines and has since expanded into individual artist zines, duo “Split” zines, short-run books, special edition books, and sound art publishing. Sad Bird focuses on contemporary photography and photography-adjacent projects. We are interested in publishing complete ideas that lend themselves to a zine or book format. Sad Bird’s mission is, and has always been, to connect artists by presenting their work in print.

Currently, we are not open for submissions for future publications, but we would still love to see your work.

Contact: sadbirdbooks@gmail.com

Instagram: instagram.com/sadbirdbooks
Bandcamp (For sound art): https://sadbirdbooks.bandcamp.com/

Our Team

Jeff Smudde (pr. “SMOO-dee”; b. 1997, Metro Detroit, Michigan, he/him/his) is an artist currently based in the Providence, Rhode Island area using various photographic processes and sound. He received his Master of Fine Art at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 2023 as a Distinguished Art Fellow and his Bachelor of Art from Illinois State University in 2019. His poetic documentary-style work comes from a background in journalism, a Midwestern cultural upbringing, and an interest in the landscape of America with a focus on perceptions of place and spirituality.

Website: jeffsmudde.com
Instagram: instagram.com/jeffsmudde