Dis net vel, my pel!
Wanjikũ, Child of Mine
Chaos in Kinshasa
Introducing Panel & Page
We love the written word here. I mean, you don’t publish as many books as we have, over as many years, without loving words. But from the very start, we’ve also loved images. Whether they are the whimsical black and white drawings found in books by Niki Daly or Bridget Krone, or the explosion of color in our first graphic novel release, Shaka Rising by Luke Molver, words and images together have also been a vital part of the stories we want to share. With Shaka Rising and its sequel King Shaka, we introduced the world to the African Graphic Novel Series, a collaboration with Jive Media Africa through our joint imprint Story Press Africa.
The Series gave us a way to tell rich, nuanced African histories through the pens and paintbrushes of African creators. We’re so proud of that work. “Wait,” you’re thinking. “Are you not doing graphic novels anymore?” No, nothing like that! The African Graphic Novel Series isn’t going anywhere. We hope that in the future we’ll be able to present more of those stories under that umbrella.
“So what’s this post all about, then?” is probably what you’re asking. Great question! This post is to introduce a sort-of sibling to the African Graphic Novel Series. Say hello to Panel & Page!
Continue reading “Introducing Panel & Page”It’s Just Skin, Silly!
Kariba
All Rise: Resistance and Rebellion in South Africa
Author Q&A: Richard Conyngham
We’re so excited for the upcoming release of All Rise: Resistance and Rebellion in South Africa, a graphic history of six untold legal cases that shaped the civil rights history of South Africa. Set during the pre-apartheid years, the acts of resistance and rebellion brought to life in All Rise were spearheaded by ordinary citizens from marginalized communities on a mission to improve the safety and freedoms of themselves and their loved ones. Each story is illustrated by a different South African illustrator, creating a visually arresting anthology representative of the vast beauty and complex multicultural history of the “Rainbow Nation”.
I’ve been an observer of this project from afar for many years, so it’s thrilling to see it all come together in print. And today I have the privilege of chatting with the author and historian behind the anthology, Richard Conyngham. Born and raised in South Africa and now living in Mexico City, Richard has degrees from the University of Cape Town and Cambridge University and many years of education and literary work under his belt, having worked with organizations like Equal Education, The Bookery, the London publisher Slightly Foxed, and the edtech organization MakeTomorrow. Back in 2016, he collaborated on his first graphic history with the Trantaal Brothers, an artist duo out of Cape Town (who also illustrated a chapter of All Rise), to create an illustrated companion to the O’Regan-Pikoli Commission of Inquiry into policing in Khayelitsha.
Richard spent the last six years researching and creating All Rise, and all that hard work has paid off to create a truly amazing end result. The collection is getting all sorts of hype from big names in the literary, comics and history worlds alike–including a Starred (!!) review from Kirkus–and we can’t wait to share the book with you when it hits the shelves on May 17th.
Continue reading “Author Q&A: Richard Conyngham”
#ReadingAfrica Week Comics Panel
We love comics and graphic novel here at Catalyst! One of our earliest releases was Shaka Rising, a graphic novel exploring the life of a legendary Zulu king. We followed that up with a sequel—King Shaka—and a historical graphic novel in translation, Madame Livingstone. 2022 brings another, this time a graphic history, All RIse. That’s why we couldn’t be more excited for this #ReadingAfrica Week Comics/Graphic Novels panel.
Calling All Illustrators
Catalyst Press is looking for an illustrator who is ready to showcase their talent by joining a unique team of experts in the fields of anthropology, biology, and history for an exciting new project in the world of children’s books.
Catalyst Press’ children’s titles have received starred reviews, made best-of year-end lists, been honored by the Children’s Africana Book Awards, USBBY, and Skipping Stones. Join us to be a part of the next great spark in children’s literature.
Submit all queries and your portfolio of five (5) .jpeg images that demonstrates an ability to work in the genre of children’s books no later than December 20, 2021, to info[at]catalystpress.org with the subject line “Illustration Submission” and your name.
Black, Indigenous, and POC applicants especially encouraged to apply!