Tentative Press
Tentative Press is a small press founded by Leah Hickey in Walsall, England.
Working from her dining room table, the project was established as a way for Hickey to self-publish her writing ‘Emotional Outbursts’. In 2025, she recieved funding from Arts Council England (ACE) to explore Tentative Press as a 'sustainable publishing model'.
Hickey is continuing Tentative Press through slow, limited releases. Her work is informed by her time at the Winterbourne Press, University of Birmingham (UoB), and the London Centre for Book Arts (LCBA).
Tentative Reads
Tentative Reads is a new research strand due to launch in late 2026. More information will be added to this page as the project develops.
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Leah Hickey
Leah Hickey (b. 1996, Walsall) is an artist and writer struck by 'heartache', a term she uses to wade through the spectrum of grief. Hickey translates these experiences through confessional writing, calligraphy, and heritage crafts 'at risk' of extinction, such as letterpress. Her work is emotionally led and influenced by Romantic thought, Christian morality and women on film.
In 2025, Hickey was awarded Arts Council England (ACE) funding to develop Tentative Press. She was also recipient of the Sir Whitworth Wallis Fellowship (2025-26) with Birmingham Museums Trust, researching the social and material histories of Victorian-era Valentines. Through 2026-28, Hickey is studying MA by Research in Typography and Graphic Communication at the University of Reading, for which she has received the UK Academic Achievement Scholarship.