This week’s news is up a little later than usual, but filled with enough news to get you through your week ahead!
Jacana Media has issued its annual call for the Gerald Kraak Prize and Anthology, an anthology and prize on the topics of gender, human rights and sexuality, for writers and photographers across Africa. Submissions are open all year.
Speaking of Jacana, we’re pretty impressed with their “Don’t Shut Up” conversation, masterclass, and broadside series. If you haven’t checked these out, you should. You can catch up on old conversations at their Crowdcast website.
All this month we’re having a Summer Friday sale where you can save big (really big. 40% off big) on a themed selection of our titles. Last week it was out kids/YA books, and this week, we’re celebrating our women authors. Save 40% on some great books by using the code SUMMERFRIDAYS when you check out. This sale is only available when you order through our site.
Sacrificed
And speaking of women authors, this month is Women in Translation month, a great opportunity to read globally. Started in 2014 by book blogger Meytal Radzinski, this month-long celebration of world literature focuses on women authors who write in languages other than English. According to stats on Radzinski’s blog, “approximately 30% of new translations into English are of books by women writers.” Women in Translation Month encourages readers to seek out and promote these books. Use the hashtags #WomeninTranslation or #WitMonth to share your reads and to find book recommendations. CLMP also has a helpful list of titles to get you started, including our own Sacrificed by Chanette Paul. Want some more ways to broaden your reading horizons? Check out these Q&As from translators Elsa Silke, who translated Sacrificed, and Rachel Hildebrandt Reynolds who translated The Walland The Farmby Max Annas (The Wall is out now, The Farm releases September 15).
There’s a great new online exhibit of African comic art. “Afropolitan Comics: From South Africa to the Continent, Images in Conversation” features “tales from across Africa as the artists and writers construct new narratives in one of the oldest forms of expression.” We’re so proud that one of the featured artists is Luke W. Molver, the author/illustrator for our series of graphic novels on the life of legendary Zulu leader, Shaka (Shaka Rising, King Shaka).
South African author Elsa Joubert died recently, another in the long list of those lost to the coronavirus. Joubert is best-known for her apartheid-era novel The Long Journey of Poppie Nongena, which as the New York Times reports in their obituary, “opened the eyes of many white South Africans to the harsh treatment that the black majority had been enduring largely out of their sight.”
There was criticism over the lack of diversity among the winners of the Media24 Book Awards (South Africa). As the Johannesburg Review of Books reports, the outcry was a reaction to “the fact that all the winners of the awards, as well as the majority of the shortlisted authors and judging panels, are white.” Media24 has issued a statement acknowledging the issue, which you can read here.
Small Mercies
We began the first in what we hope is a long-running series of conversations with Catalyst authors, friends, and partners this week. Our first installment in our “Conversations with…” series features our office manager SarahBelle Selig in conversation with Small Mercies author Bridget Krone.
Even as states begin the long process of reopening, the need to connect online still seems as relevant as ever. One way to do that is by starting a virtual book club. Jessica Pryde at BookRiot offers some tips for starting your own through your public library.
Andy Fitchfrom the LA Review of Booksrecently spoke with Rep. Ilhan Omar, the first Somali-American legislator in the United States, to discuss her recently released memoir, Somalia, her politics, and why she’s put her faith “in seeing what American democracy looks like when elected officials actually engage the people.”
Outside the Lines, our recent release by Ameera Patel, has been earning praise all over: Publishers Weekly (starred review), Shelf Awareness, Ms. Magazine, CrimeReads, and others. We chatted with Ameera about her work, her book, her writing process, and more. Read our Q&A with her here. You can also read an excerpt from the book at CrimeReads. And since you’re already gearing up to visit CrimeReads, make sure to also check out the excerpt from another of our recent releases, Bitter Pill by Peter Church, which has also earned its fair share of praise from Publishers Weekly, NY Review of Books, Cosmo, and others. We’re also offering the e-books of Peter’s Dark Web Trilogy for a special price all summer long. Check it out here.
“I think those of us who acknowledge the humanity of young people, those of us who acknowledge the complexity and the beauty and the sophistication of childhood know that when you’re writing it, all of those elements have to be present.” Author Jason Reynolds (All American Boys, Long Way Down) chats with Krista Tippett of On Being about children’s literature and the power of books to heal.
And finally, we are pleased to take part in the PEN World Voices Festival’s Indie Lit Fair. The Fair, hosted by the Festival and the Community of Literary Magazine and Presses (CLMP), “showcases the breadth of independent magazines and presses our country has to offer.” There are so many amazing indie publishers featured— from book publishers to magazines to literary journals— each offering special pricing on several of their items. We’re presenting three award-winning books: Love Interrupted by Reneilwe Malatji, We Kiss Them with Rain by Futhi Ntshingila, and Bom Boy by Yewande Omotoso, at a special price when you buy all three. Visit the Indie Lit Fair here.
These last two months saw the release of four new books! Congratulations to all of these fantastic authors. All of these are out now, and available through your favorite bookseller and right here on our website.
In these two delightful books for beginning readers, we meet Lolo an adventurous, fun-loving, curious girl who lives in South Africa with her mother and grandmother. Both of these books have earned Niki some well-deserved praise from Booklist, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly, and both were named Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections. Learn more about the books, including teaching guides, activity sheets, and a read-along with Niki here.
We’re proud to be the North American publisher for this debut novel from an exciting new voice— Ameera Patel. In this thriller/family drama, social, class, race, and religious lines blur and merge as a middle-class family in the suburbs of Johannesburg search for their missing daughter. The novel has earned Ameera a starred review from Publishers Weekly, and praise from Shelf Awareness, Ms. Magazine, Mystery Scene, Foreword Reviews, and more. CrimeReads listed it as one of its ten novels you should read in June, and even though June is fading away, we think it should be one you pick up this month, next month, or anytime. Learn more about Ameera, and order your copy here.
The final chapter in Peter’s Dark Web Trilogy, Bitter Pill continues the exploration of the dark side of our digital world. A shadowy businessman blurs the boundaries between the real and the virtual to satisfy his clientele’s need for heightened thrills. No price is too high to pay to deliver every fantasy—no matter how twisted. Peter’s gritty page-turner has earned praise from Publishers Weekly and the New York Journal of Books. All summer long, we’re offering all three e-books of the trilogy for a special price. Learn more about Bitter Pill, the Dark Web Trilogy, and how you can save on all three e-books here.
We’re excited to bring another exciting new voice to North American readers. Ameera Patel’s genre-crossing novel Outside the Lines is part thriller, part family drama, part literary fiction, told from multiple viewpoints. Set in the middle-class suburbs of Johannesburg, South Africa, the novel’s narrative also crosses lines— class, racial, and religious—to peel back the facade of its characters’ seemingly placid suburban lives.
Drug-addicted Cathleen is kidnapped and her distracted family fails to notice her absence; Zilindile, who services Cathleen’s drug habit, and his Muslim Indian girlfriend Farhana, struggle to make sense of their relationship despite their very different backgrounds; and domestic worker Flora and the silent Runyararo, who was painting Cathleen’s house until accused of theft by Cathleen’s father, become entangled with romance and criminals, leading to the ultimate tragedy.
We caught up with Ameera to chat about her book, her writing process, and how her experience as an actor and playwright helps her in her fiction writing.
The #PublishingPaidMe hashtag is making waves on Twitter, raising awareness about the massive discrepancies in author advances for writers of color compared to their white counterparts. On June 8, more than 1,000 workers in the publishing industry participated in a day-long strike, taking the day off their regular work duties to be “in service of the Black community: protesting, organizing, fundraising support, phone banking, mutual aid,” and working on books by Black creators.
Working on a COVID-themed manuscript? So is everyone else, according to literary agent Erin Clyburn, who reported to NPR that agents are seeing more and more writers submitting pandemic stories. But don’t rush it and sacrifice quality, she begs.
In award news, The Shirley Jackson Award nominees were just announced. The award celebrates “outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror, and the dark fantastic.” And if you haven’t read them yet, here are the complete texts for the five AKO Caine Prize finalists. The Prize received an unprecedented (and incredible!) 222 submissions from 28 African countries this year.
Nigerian writer Emeka Joseph Nwankwo wrote on how African women in publishing are bringing inclusivity to the forefront, a necessity urged by Girl, Woman, Other author Bernardine Evaristo this week.
Missing the museum? Electric Lit recommends 10 books set in museums to last you through lockdown. Not enough to satisfy your escapism bug? LitHub has you covered, with five 20th-century books about travel. And ICYMI: an argument for reading (and against shaming) the summer “beach read.”
In Catalyst news, Ameera Patel’s Outside the Lines officially hit North American shelves this week! Read an excerpt on CrimeReads. Bitter Pill, the final installment of Peter Church’s beloved Dark Web trilogy, get its North American debut on Monday. The e-books of the full series are available for 25% off on our site all summer long.
This week has been hard. There’s really no other way to put it. We’ve watched as cities all over the country, all over the world, have stood against racism and police brutality. We’ve seen people stand together, defiantly, tearfully, bravely saying the names of those we’ve lost to the violence of white supremacy.
This week has also marked the start of some real and hard conversations— many of which were long overdue. The literary community certainly isn’t immune from inequality, and in this week’s literary news, you’ll find several articles looking at ways that the community is grappling with issues of race and inclusion. You’ll also find some lighter news, like great reviews, book releases, music, and more, because taking breaks to take care of ourselves (physically or mentally) and celebrate our wins is also an important part of this. Continue reading “This Week in Literary News, Week of May 31”
Our weekly round-up of literary news here at Catalyst and beyond, is brought to you by our intern Naomi Valenzuela. Naomi is from Phoenix, Arizona and El Paso, Texas, and 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
There’s an article over at The New Yorker about a short film. In the documentary, a bookseller talks and demonstrates the craft of repairing a damaged book
Brightly has book recommendations for this graduation season, whether you’re the sentimental type or want to advise them on finances, this list has something for everyone.
A few weeks ago, Joy Harjo’s second term as U.S. Poet Laureate. Now,Book Riot explains the role of the Poet Laureate and the importance of the position.
Forbes has an article about Carry A Book, a social media app that connects you to fellow readers to discuss what you’ve read or favorite books.
If you’re going through this quarantine alone, why not embrace the silence? The Guardian has a list of 10 books all about silence, from protagonists looking to finding or characters being silent themselves.
Brittle Paper has the shortlist for The 2020 AKO Caine Prize for African Writing, with photos and bios of the authors.
While literature festivals around the world are being canceled, the Afrolit Sans Frontieres Festival, founded by South African author Zukiswa Wanner was made as a virtual response to the pandemic. Read more about it on The New York Times.
Our weekly round-up of literary news here at Catalyst and beyond, is brought to you by our intern Naomi Valenzuela. Naomi is from Phoenix, Arizona and El Paso, Texas, and 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
SarahBelle Selig, who manages our South African operations, has an essay on World Literature Today. Read about the rules about living in isolation she learned from reading A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.
Over at The Johannesburg Review of Books, Yewande Omotoso’s (author of Bom Boy) story titled “Boy” is highlighted as part of their “Best of the JRB” feature.
Last but not least, we have a new release! The Lolo Series by Niki Daly is out now, with Here Comes Lolo and Hooray for Lolo available in paperback or hardback!
In other literary news:
Brittle Paper has a feature about Botlhale, a YouTube channel that discusses African literature while also creating teaching tools for it.
Booksellers are finding creative ways to get books to their customers. Book Riot has a list of literary care packages from different bookstores, each with different focuses ranging from bilingual books to romance novels.
The BBC has an article about how the reading boom that has been happening during this pandemic, and the genres that the public could be picking up more and more.
Lastly, NPR informs us that Joy Harjo, the U.S.’s first Native American Poet Laureate, has received a second term by the Library of Congress.
Our weekly round-up of literary news here at Catalyst and beyond, is brought to you by our intern Naomi Valenzuela. Naomi is from Phoenix, Arizona and El Paso, Texas, and 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
It has been an exciting week of news for Catalyst Press!
We start off with an excerpt from Peter Church’s Crackerjack, the first book in the Dark Web Trilogy. Read it on The Johannesburg Review of Books.
We have reviews for not one, but two, of our books over at Publishers Weekly! There’s a starred review for Ameera Patel’s Outside The Lines, as well as a review for Bitter Pill by Peter Church. Both books are out in June.
Check out this essay by Yewande Omotoso, author of Bom Boy, over on The Sunday Times (South Africa) where she writes about COVID-19 and how it has shined a light upon the problems of the world.
We have also created a list of our educational resources. Take a look at some of our published books, sorted by age level, to find activities and resources to fit your needs!
The New York Times has an article about how some librarians continue to work through the pandemic after many of the nation’s libraries remain closed.
Need to find some new tasks for your free time? Book Riot has made a to-do list and guide to spring clean your books— from your shelves to your digital collections.
Yes! Magazine has an essay from Myriam Gurba and how the controversy around American Dirt inspired a movement for Latinx writers.
And finally, we are pleased to take part in the 
