Author: Ashawnta Jackson | Page 2

The Spark: The List of Lists Edition

Welcome to The Spark, our mini newsletter featuring news from Catalyst and beyond. If you’d like to subscribe to the full size version, click here. Same great news, in a larger size. Anyway, onwards!

In Catalyst news, you can hear two of our talented authors showing off their skills behind the mic in these conversations hosted by PEN South Africa. Richard Conyngham, author of the recently-released graphic novel All Rise, joins Rebecca Hall, author of Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts, for a conversation led by professor Hlonipha Mokoena on “historical revolts and acts of resistance, working with archival records, pedagogy, and the relationship between illustration and written narratives.” And Unmaking Grace author, Barbara Boswell leads a conversation between poets Natalie Diaz and vangile gantsho. They discuss “art and healing, sensualities, the violence of the English language as well as how it is transformed by those who speak it.” Both All Rise and Unmaking Grace are out now.

Upcoming Events

Join us for these great events in May: Author Richard Conyngham and artist Tumi Mamabolo at Interference Archive and Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu at the Contemporary African Voices Series.

Plus! You could win copies of both of Siphiwe’s books.

Author Richard Conyngham explored South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal’s basement archive, and through that research, was able to construct narratives of six cases of stories of resistance and rebellion from the period loosely known as the “Union years”—between South Africa’s unification in 1910 and the beginning of apartheid in 1948. These are stories of passive resisters, strikers, rebels, and revolutionaries fought back in the streets and in the courts.

The result of that work was the illustrated history, All Rise: Resistance and Rebellion in South Africa, which was created with a team of South African artists. Join Richard and artist Tumi Mamabolo on Sunday, May 22 at 1:00 pm ET to explore the ways artists and creative writers can make use of archival materials, to discuss how archives and primary sources can be an effective avenue for creative work, and how the artists and writers filled archival gaps through creative decision-making to construct the stories we read in All Rise. Hosted by Interference Archive.

Reading Naturally

It’s Earth Day! We’ve only got the one planet, and today (and every day) is a good day to reflect on the ways we can make it better— today and tomorrow. We have a few books, for readers of all ages, that tackle some of our biggest environmental issues from a variety of perspectives. And if you keep reading, you’ll also get a peek at some forthcoming titles that also explore our connection to the natural world.

Congratulations, Siphiwe!

Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu, author of The Theory of Flight and The History of Man, was among the eight winners of this year’s prestigious Windham-Campbell Prize. The award, which “calls attention to literary achievement and provides writers with the opportunity to focus on their work independent of financial concerns,” is administered by the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University. Siphiwe is joined by two other African writers on this year’s recipient list, Emmanuel Iduma from Nigeria and fellow Zimbabwean Tsitsi Dangarembga, who said of Siphiwe’s win, “I am delighted to see that Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu is a recipient of the Windham Campbell Award for Fiction this year. This is an extraordinary distinction, one that is particularly meaningful for Zimbabwean literature at a time when political repression and economic stagnation undermine artistic expression in the country.”

In the announcement on the organization’s website, Siphiwe is called “both a chronicler and a conjurer whose soaring imagination creates a Zimbabwean past made of anguish and hope, of glory and despair.” The prize, which comes with a $165,000 award, gives writers the time and the space they need to create without financial concerns, something that Siphiwe looks forward to. “I cannot even begin to fully articulate all the amazing things that this prize means for me at this stage in my career,” Siphiwe says. “There are still so many stories waiting to be told and now thanks to the Windham-Campbell Prizes at Yale, I will be able to tell them. I am both immensely honored and deeply humbled by this recognition.”

All of us at Catalyst Press send our hugest congratulations to this talented author, and we can’t wait to see what she creates next. Visit the Windham-Campbell website to see the full list of winners.

The Spark: Events Edition

Our authors are busy these days, and it looks like they’re mostly busy with events— lots of events! So this edition of The Spark will put them all in one handy place, so that you can fill your month with literary goodness.

Wednesday, March 16 at 3:00pm South African Time: Joanne Hichens (Divine Justice) appears on the panel, “Beyond the Words in Shorts Stories,“ as part of the Time of the Writer Festival, a virtual festival sponsored by The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts. The panel will discuss how their work answers the question: what does being haunted and hauntings mean in our southern African world, in the past, the present and the future?

Tuesday, March 29, at 6:30pm PT: Authors Richard Conyngham (All Rise: Resistance and Rebellion in South Africa) and Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu (The History of Man) will be appearing at PubWest Live, a virtual event hosted by PubWest and Massy Arts. The event also features Christopher Chávez, author of The Sound of Exclusion: NPR and the Latinx Public (University of Arizona Press). Register here

Tuesday, April 5, 7:00pm PT: Caroline Kurtz celebrates the release of her new memoir Today is Tomorrow with a virtual reading and discussion at Annie Bloom’s Books. And if you pre-order from Annie Bloom’s you can get a signed copy! More info and registration here

Friday, April 15, 12:00pm ET: Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu will be in conversation with Johns Hopkins University World Literature professor, Jeanne-Marie Jackson. Register here

Q&A with Hannes Barnard

Hannes Barnard is a Catalyst Press trailblazer. Though we’ve published several books in translation before, his novel, Halley’s Comet, is our very first one for young readers. Books are a way to explore the world, and we hope that readers—especially young readers—take that journey through our books.

And what a way to start!

Halley’s Comet, written and translated by Hannes, is a powerful and emotional coming-of-age story set in the last years of South African apartheid. Kirkus called it “a thrilling, tension-filled story of friendship, love, radicalism, and justice;” World Kid Lit praised it writing, “This YA story is a crossover novel that is bound to stay with readers – young and old – long after they finish it;” and Sonia Patel, author of William C. Morris Award finalist Rani Patel In Full Effect, writes “Hannes Barnard delivers an indelible exploration of the importance of empathy in seeing color without seeing inferiority.” In short, this is a truly great book.

The novel centers on Pete, a white 16-year-old schoolboy. Pete lives a relatively sheltered life, primarily concerned with girls and rugby— until one January night changes everything. Thrust together with two complete strangers—Petrus, a Black farmworker’s son and Sarita, an Indian shopkeeper’s daughter—the trio form an era-defying friendship that is sparked by a shared secret. And when anti-Apartheid revolutionaries set their sights on the town, it will change the course of the three young people’s lives forever.

We talked with Hannes about his work, how he created characters with kindness and empathy, how reading translated literature can “drive out preconceptions and open our eyes and minds,” his advice for young writers, and much more.

Halley’s Comet is out now, and available through your favorite bookseller. Continue reading “Q&A with Hannes Barnard”

This Week in Literary News

We’ve changed our weekly literary news roundup just a bit for the new year. From now on, you’ll find tips on #ReadingAfrica all year round, great titles to check out from our backlist, and of course, other bookish news from across the internet. Think of this as a mini newsletter (for the regular-sized serving of our newsletter, subscribe here). Happy reading!

“These books may have hard topics but they essentially are a needed part of education. They might be brutal and hard to swallow, but they are the best examples of real-world problems and history.” Students give their thoughts on the book bans happening across the nation.

Today we celebrate the birthdays of both ✨Audre Lorde AND Toni Morrison✨ It should be a national holiday, right? pic.twitter.com/1HeuWVy566
— Feminist Press (@FeministPress) February 18, 2022

What a day! Both Toni Morrison and Audre Lorde were born on this day (February 18). Here are a few places to learn more about these two influential authors:

The Legacy of Audre Lorde at The Paris Review
Audre Lorde at the Poetry Foundation
The Genius of Toni Morrison’s Only Short Story at The New Yorker
13 Groundbreaking Toni Morrison Works to Read Right Now at Oprah Daily

#ReadingAfrica 2021: Why We’re Reading Africa

Many thanks to all who participated in our annual #ReadingAfrica Week celebration! We’re already excited about next year. This last post comes from several of our authors and Catalyst staff, each expressing why they’re reading African lit, all year round.

One of the joys of my life is crossing cultures. It’s fascinating to peek into the hearts and minds of people we think are different from us and find instead the common humanity we share. Parents bond with their children; young people work at figuring out this complex world we’re born into; historical moments impact us; we adjust to our good and bad luck; we do the best we can. Reading books about Africans, African settings, and about the history of this great continent adds richness to my life. Thank you, Catalyst Press!
– Caroline Kurtz, author Today is Tomorrow and A Road Called Down on Both Sides

Since moving to South Africa, I’ve been blown away by the book industry here: the effort and love that goes into every book; the kindness and grit of the authors, publishers, and literary media; and the true originality of the work being produced. I look forward to #ReadingAfrica week all year long, because it’s an excuse to celebrate the incredible people I’m lucky enough to work with every day–and to talk my friends’ ears off about who and what I’m reading!— SarahBelle Selig, Catalyst Press Office/Publicity Manager, South Africa

Continue reading “#ReadingAfrica 2021: Why We’re Reading Africa”

#ReadingAfrica: Listening to LGBTQI+ Voices

One of the things that’s so important to us during #ReadingAfricaWeek is to stress that African literature isn’t one thing. There are different genres, styles, plots, voices, just like in any other place’s literature. But literature, at least for the time being, is still coming from Earth. And here on Earth, all of us know that some voices and some stories are heard more often than others. It’s why we were so excited to privilege women’s voices in our closing panel, and why we’re doing this post. When #ReadingAfrica, and trying to avoid the trap of the single narrative, make sure to add in queer voices, too. Here are a few places to start. Continue reading “#ReadingAfrica: Listening to LGBTQI+ Voices”

#ReadingAfrica for the Young Reader

We were so excited co-host a panel on children’s literature with World Kid Lit! If you missed this incredibly fun and thoughtful conversation, you can watch a recording here. When the panel ended, our amazing moderator, Bunmi, asked the group to share their favorite #ReadingAfrica books for young readers. You could, of course, watch the video in full, rewind and pause as needed, and then jot down their recommendations. But we won’t make you do that. Instead, you can keep reading for some great suggestions from the panel for books to share with the young reader in your life! You can also take a look at our #ReadingAfrica2021 list on Bookshop.org, which featured illustrated stories for all ages. Continue reading “#ReadingAfrica for the Young Reader”