We’re pleased to welcome Naomi Valenzuela to #TeamCatalyst! Naomi is from Phoenix, Arizona and El Paso, Texas, and joins us as our intern. She is majoring in Creative Writing and minoring in English & American Literature at the University of Texas, El Paso, with plans of working in the publishing business after graduation.
She’ll be writing a weekly round-up of literary news from Catalyst and beyond (plus writing a few other things for the blog in the future. Watch this space!). We couldn’t be happier to have her here. Welcome, Naomi!
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Here at Catalyst Press, we focus on publishing books from African authors or based in Africa. However, we encourage every reader to diversify their readings throughout the globe! The New York Times gives us a look into the upcoming books in 2020 from around the world.
Waiting for the next book to come out from the list above? Then check out this list at Electric Lit where Michael Zapata recommends these books that were almost lost to history.
Over at Terp, the University of Maryland’s magazine, there’s an article about Barbara Boswell and Unmaking Grace (out now), her newest book published by us. Read about Boswell, an alumna of the university, and her life and motivations leading up to her book.
At The New Yorker, Hilton Als talks about Toni Morrison and how her novel, The Bluest Eye, forged the idea of creating protagonists out of young Black girls in America.
If your New Year resolution was learning how to be more mindful in your life, check out this article over at Read It Forward by Courtney Allison. Ten great books recommendations on dealing with meditation, mindfulness tips, and/or ways to help you with stress and mental health.
In more Catalyst news, The Big Thrill has an interview with Peter Church about his latest release with us, Dark Video (out now). Read about what the author has to say about his characters, his inspirations for his story, and more.
Accord Literacy is looking for writers interested in writing for young readers “that will help develop literacy, book accessibility, and the use of African indigenous languages in literature.” If interested, take a look at this article over on Brittle Paper.
Check out this clip over at BBC where Lupita Nyoung’o talks about diversity in books and her efforts to help literacy among young girls.
