diff --git a/.circleci/config.yml b/.circleci/config.yml
index ab55cfef9..53ddeb46e 100644
--- a/.circleci/config.yml
+++ b/.circleci/config.yml
@@ -81,5 +81,5 @@ jobs:
             python -m venv venv
             source venv/bin/activate 
             pip install --upgrade setuptools pip pybind11
-            pip install dist/fwdpy11-0.5.3.tar.gz 
+            pip install dist/fwdpy11-0.5.4.tar.gz 
 
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 9d73a785d..85cd84fc9 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #! /bin/sh
 # Guess values for system-dependent variables and create Makefiles.
-# Generated by GNU Autoconf 2.69 for fwdpy11 0.5.3.
+# Generated by GNU Autoconf 2.69 for fwdpy11 0.5.4.
 #
 # Report bugs to <krthornt@uci.edu>.
 #
@@ -580,8 +580,8 @@ MAKEFLAGS=
 # Identity of this package.
 PACKAGE_NAME='fwdpy11'
 PACKAGE_TARNAME='fwdpy11'
-PACKAGE_VERSION='0.5.3'
-PACKAGE_STRING='fwdpy11 0.5.3'
+PACKAGE_VERSION='0.5.4'
+PACKAGE_STRING='fwdpy11 0.5.4'
 PACKAGE_BUGREPORT='krthornt@uci.edu'
 PACKAGE_URL=''
 
@@ -1256,7 +1256,7 @@ if test "$ac_init_help" = "long"; then
   # Omit some internal or obsolete options to make the list less imposing.
   # This message is too long to be a string in the A/UX 3.1 sh.
   cat <<_ACEOF
-\`configure' configures fwdpy11 0.5.3 to adapt to many kinds of systems.
+\`configure' configures fwdpy11 0.5.4 to adapt to many kinds of systems.
 
 Usage: $0 [OPTION]... [VAR=VALUE]...
 
@@ -1318,7 +1318,7 @@ fi
 
 if test -n "$ac_init_help"; then
   case $ac_init_help in
-     short | recursive ) echo "Configuration of fwdpy11 0.5.3:";;
+     short | recursive ) echo "Configuration of fwdpy11 0.5.4:";;
    esac
   cat <<\_ACEOF
 
@@ -1408,7 +1408,7 @@ fi
 test -n "$ac_init_help" && exit $ac_status
 if $ac_init_version; then
   cat <<\_ACEOF
-fwdpy11 configure 0.5.3
+fwdpy11 configure 0.5.4
 generated by GNU Autoconf 2.69
 
 Copyright (C) 2012 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
@@ -1798,7 +1798,7 @@ cat >config.log <<_ACEOF
 This file contains any messages produced by compilers while
 running configure, to aid debugging if configure makes a mistake.
 
-It was created by fwdpy11 $as_me 0.5.3, which was
+It was created by fwdpy11 $as_me 0.5.4, which was
 generated by GNU Autoconf 2.69.  Invocation command line was
 
   $ $0 $@
@@ -5001,7 +5001,7 @@ cat >>$CONFIG_STATUS <<\_ACEOF || ac_write_fail=1
 # report actual input values of CONFIG_FILES etc. instead of their
 # values after options handling.
 ac_log="
-This file was extended by fwdpy11 $as_me 0.5.3, which was
+This file was extended by fwdpy11 $as_me 0.5.4, which was
 generated by GNU Autoconf 2.69.  Invocation command line was
 
   CONFIG_FILES    = $CONFIG_FILES
@@ -5054,7 +5054,7 @@ _ACEOF
 cat >>$CONFIG_STATUS <<_ACEOF || ac_write_fail=1
 ac_cs_config="`$as_echo "$ac_configure_args" | sed 's/^ //; s/[\\""\`\$]/\\\\&/g'`"
 ac_cs_version="\\
-fwdpy11 config.status 0.5.3
+fwdpy11 config.status 0.5.4
 configured by $0, generated by GNU Autoconf 2.69,
   with options \\"\$ac_cs_config\\"
 
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 8448a84c7..57e2a2b6f 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ dnl 2) package version (i.e. 1.2)
 dnl 3) bug/info/project email address (i.e. bug-foo@gnu.org)
 dnl----
 dnl
-AC_INIT([fwdpy11], [0.5.3], [krthornt@uci.edu])
+AC_INIT([fwdpy11], [0.5.4], [krthornt@uci.edu])
 
 dnl----
 dnl If you plan to use Automake, initialize it hre
diff --git a/doc/conf.py b/doc/conf.py
index bd99463f0..ade52eb98 100644
--- a/doc/conf.py
+++ b/doc/conf.py
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
         sys.path.pop(0)
         try:
             import fwdpy11
-            if fwdpy11.__version__ != "0.5.3":
+            if fwdpy11.__version__ != "0.5.4":
                 raise RuntimeError("installed fwdpp detected, but unexpected version found")
         except:
             raise
@@ -106,9 +106,9 @@ def setup(app):
 # built documents.
 #
 # The short X.Y version.
-version = '0.5.3'
+version = '0.5.4'
 # The full version, including alpha/beta/rc tags.
-release = '0.5.3'
+release = '0.5.4'
 
 # The language for content autogenerated by Sphinx. Refer to documentation
 # for a list of supported languages.
diff --git a/doc/fwdpy11.doxygen b/doc/fwdpy11.doxygen
index 274381555..9b8a9ff0b 100644
--- a/doc/fwdpy11.doxygen
+++ b/doc/fwdpy11.doxygen
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ PROJECT_NAME           = fwdpy11
 # could be handy for archiving the generated documentation or if some version
 # control system is used.
 
-PROJECT_NUMBER         = 0.5.3
+PROJECT_NUMBER         = 0.5.4
 
 # Using the PROJECT_BRIEF tag one can provide an optional one line description
 # for a project that appears at the top of each page and should give viewer a
diff --git a/fwdpy11/_version.py b/fwdpy11/_version.py
index ed7d50e76..19283fe51 100644
--- a/fwdpy11/_version.py
+++ b/fwdpy11/_version.py
@@ -1 +1 @@
-__version__ = '0.5.3'
+__version__ = '0.5.4'
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 1fd50ae41..194a643c2 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 if sys.version_info[0] < 3:
     raise ValueError("Python 3 is required!")
 
-__version__ = '0.5.3'
+__version__ = '0.5.4'
 
 if sys.version_info < (3, 3):
     raise RuntimeError("Python >= 3.3 required")