Celebrating BIPOC Voices

Since our founding in 2016, Catalyst Press has been a champion for diverse voices from around the globe. Writing in an array of genres, Catalyst authors represent the diversity of our world, of our voices, and of our lives.

Keep reading to see a sampling of some of our BIPOC-authored books— some out now, and some forthcoming— and click on the cover image for more information. And be sure to subscribe to our newsletter to keep up-to-date on new releases, events, author interviews, and more.

Want to diversify your bookshelves? Save 25% on all of our titles when you shop through IndiePubs. Use the code SHOWCASE at checkout.

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The Lion's Binding Oath

Ahmed Ismail Yusuf’s collection of short stories, introduces readers to the people of Somalia and their struggles: their faith, identity, friendship, and family bonds, as whispers of war grow louder around them.

Captive: New Short Fiction from Africa

In CAPTIVE, twelve new and emerging writers from Africa and the African Diaspora explore the identities that connect us, the obsessions that bewitch us, and the self-delusions that tear us apart.

Chaos in Kinshasha

A small-time criminal from Harlem takes a trip to Central Africa to attend the legendary 1974 Ali-Foreman “Rumble in the Jungle” boxing match. It quickly becomes a one-way ticket to the seedy underground of Zaire—complete with espionage, murder, and a communist plot to overthrow Zaire’s infamous President Mobutu.

The Quality of Mercy

“Ndlovu’s lyrical writing has reimagined how stories about post-independence Zimbabwe are told, and reflected some of the country’s darker moments.” — THE GUARDIAN

THE QUALITY OF MERCY centers on detective Spokes Moloi who is tasked with unraveling the alleged murder Emil Coetzee, but also the tangled web that Coetzee's life has created. The novel weaves together elements of social comedy and cozy crime while examining the history of a country transitioning from a colonial to a postcolonial state.

Young Blood

"Sifiso Mzobe has written a compassionate, unsentimental, and artful portrait of a young man on the threshold of trying to preserve his life and his humanity by the very means that will almost inevitably destroy both.” —Paul Harding, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of TINKERS

<italics>YOUNG BLOOD</italics> is the story of the intricate balance of circumstance and choice, swift gain and incredible loss, as seventeen-year-old Sipho finds out how far he can push his luck before the damage is irrevocable—and the consequences deadly.

Outside the Lines

“Patel displays an exceptional ability to plumb the depths of her characters, each of whose points of view throws light on the realities of the other narrators. Rays of hope and gentle overtures to love lift this vibrant novel.” —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (starred review)

A journey through the underbelly of Johannesburg, South Africa and the intimacy of family drama scattered across racial, religious, and class divisions.

It's Just Skin, Silly!

“[A]n irresistibly brilliant, pitch-perfect page-turner that should be a must-read in every Pre-K and Elementary School in our country”— Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

A clever, quirky illustrated children’s book on the evolution of skin color, based on research from expert anthropologist Dr. Nina Jablonski and historian Dr. Holly Y. McGee. Illustrations by Karen Vermeulen.

Wanjiku, Child of Mine

Gloriously illustrated and alive with the joie de vivre of girlhood, Wanjikũ, Child of Mine is an ode to the heritage that walks alongside us, and a love song for the sisters we make on the journey.

Written by Ciiku Ndung'u-Case, illustrated by Karen Vermeulen

FORTHCOMING RELEASES

The Wanderers

"A page-turner. Here is the voice of contemporary South African fiction." - Joanne Ruth Davis, THE JOHANNESBURG REVIEW OF BOOKS.

Across countries and decades, THE WANDERERS weaves a captivating tapestry of human lives, exploring the enduring—and sometimes contradictory—duties of blood and country.

The Second Verse

Bokang Damane is a dreamer and an outsider with mad problems. One essay on suicide, and people think he's on the brink, and attending a pompous all boys’ school and living in the burbs means he's both "not enough" and "too much" by both the Black and white kids. Add in an alcoholic father, a beautiful girlfriend with plenty of troubles of her own, and the pressure to reach his true potential, it's no wonder Bokang just wants to be left alone to rap and sketch.

But in life, like in the songs he loves, there's always a second verse. And that second verse is always better than the first.

THE SECOND VERSE, the debut novel by Onke Mazibuko, is Bokang's fight to find the flow – a spark to rise above the raging seas of family strife and school pressure and discover a path, though fraught with danger, into the future.

CATALYST PRESS

Celebrating BIPOC Voices

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FORTHCOMING RELEASES

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