Tag: Courttia Newland

This Week in Literary News: Week of November 14

First up, some Catalyst news! Make sure to mark your calendars for three epic virtual events we’re hosting for our fifth annual #Reading Africa week: an African comics and graphic novels event on December 6th, an African kid lit event on December 8th, and an African women authors’ event on December 10th. All events will be held at 12:00pm EST, or 7:00pm SAST. #ReadingAfrica week starts December 5th and lasts all week long, so be sure to follow our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to join in on the festivities!

DISRUPTION

ICYMI, Brittle Paper and Radical Books Collective hosted their “Beyond Wakanda” event last week, a celebration of African speculative fiction. Catch up on this awesome panel between Catalyst’s The Theory of Flight author Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu and Cosmogramma author Courttia Newland, led by Lizzy Attree. And lastly, Disruption: New Short Fiction from Africa cover designer Megan Ross was named a finalist for the 2021 GBAS Book Cover Awards!

In industry news, Empire of Pain author Patrick Radden Keefe took home the Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction this week, and the winners of the 2021 National Book Awards were announced. Learn more about this year’s fiction winner, Jason Mott, and his novel, Hell of a Book. A Harry Potter 20th anniversary reunion is airing on New Year’s Day, The Girls author Emma Cline is starting an imprint, and finance celebrity Gary V. secured one million sales of his new book in one weekend—by leveraging NFTs. Neil DeGrasse Tyson is releasing a new book, and so is Kevin from “The Office.”

Continue reading “This Week in Literary News: Week of November 14”

This Week in Literary News: Week of October 31

On November 6, The Theory of Flight author Siphiwe Ndlovu will be in conversation with Cosmogramma author Courttia Newland and moderator Sean Jacobs, editor and founder of Africa is a Country. Here’s the registration info.

The two team up again for Radical Books Collective’s “Beyond Wakanda! Celebrating New African Speculative Fiction” day on November 12 from 11am-2pm EST (5pm-8pm in SA)

 

African literature has been in the spotlight a lot lately. Abdulrazak Gurnah was awarded the Nobel Prize; Tsitsi Dangarembga was awarded the 2021 German Peace Prize; Senegalese novelist Boubacar Boris Diop has been named the winner of the 2022 Neustadt International Prize for Literature; fellow Senegalese author Mohamed Mbougar Sarr has won the Prix Goncourt, becoming the “first writer from sub-Saharan Africa to be awarded France’s oldest and most prestigious literary prize.”; and South African novelist and playwright Damon Galgut has won the Booker Prize. Congrats to all!  Continue reading “This Week in Literary News: Week of October 31”

This Week in Literary News: Week of October 24

First up, some Catalyst news! We’ve got some great upcoming events for you to join this November:

We Kiss Them with Rain author Futhi Ntshingila and Bom Boy author Yewande Omotoso are participating in the 2021 Open Book Festival’s podcast series, running from November 8-24, and on November 6 at 2pm EST (8pm South Africa), The Theory of Flight author Siphiwe Ndlovu will be in conversation with Cosmogramma author Courttia Newland and moderator Sean Jacobs, hosted by WORD Bookstore in Brooklyn! Here’s the registration info.

Can’t get enough Siphiwe and Courttia? Us either! Check out The Radical Books Collective’s “Beyond Wakanda! Celebrating New African Speculative Fiction” day on November 12 from 11am-2pm EST (5pm-8pm in SA), which features another conversation between Siphiwe and Courttia, moderated by Lizzy Attree.

To celebrate these two awesome events, take 15% off of The Theory of Flight when you order from our site, this month only! Use code RADICAL at checkout. And speaking of Courttia, we spotted him on Electric Lit this week! Continue reading “This Week in Literary News: Week of October 24”

This Week in Literary News: Week of October 10

First things first: huge congratulations to Hannes Barnard, author and translator of our forthcoming release Halley’s Comet, on this fantastic review in Kirkus. They called his YA novel. “a thrilling, tension-filled story of friendship, love, radicalism, and justice that will resonate with many readers.” And we can’t help but agree. Halley’s Comet is out in January.

Things in the Bronx just got a lot bookier (yeah, I know it’s not a word. Mind your own business spellcheck.). A used shuttle bus has now become home to Bronx Bound Books, a bookstore on wheels started by writer Latanya DeVaughn.

Got a lot on your mind? Consider heading to your bookshelf. Researchers have found that daily reading has plenty of benefits, and is a great task to add to your to-do list.  From Inc. “Researchers have determined the practice of reading–a cognitive exercise–lowers stress and depression, raises your intelligence, protects your memory, and helps you to be more open-minded.” Continue reading “This Week in Literary News: Week of October 10”

This Week in Literary News: Week of October 3

First up, a few updates on your favorite Catalyst authors! Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu, author of award-winning novel The Theory of Flight and her upcoming follow-up, The History of Man, recently spoke at the Harare Book Club, and you can catch up on the event here. And mark your calendars for Saturday November 6th at 2pm EST, when Siphiwe will be in conversation with author Courttia Newland in a discussion of Afro-futurism, in partnership with Brooklyn’s Word Bookstore.

Futhi Ntshingila, author of We Kiss Them With Rain is celebrating the launch of her new book, They Got to You Too, in South Africa on Tuesday October 12th at 18:30 SA time, 12:30pm EST, and you can tune in live. Congratulations, Futhi! Continue reading “This Week in Literary News: Week of October 3”