Tag: Fiction

Interview with Catalyst Founder at Bookology Magazine

First of all, bookology is a delightful word to say. Go on. Say it. We’ll wait… Fun, right? Secondly, the good folks at the delightfully-named Bookology Magazine chatted with Catalyst founder Jessica Powers to talk about our children’s/young adult offerings.

[Jessica’s] goal is to bring to Western readers books that reveal the world from different perspectives—tilting, reversing or tweaking the standard Western understanding of what’s real, true, necessary, or beautiful. Her motivation to create this press is her belief that books can be the fire and fuel for change. One book in the hands of one child can change—and has changed—the world for many.
Head over to Bookology to read the full interview, and many thanks to them and to interviewer Nancy Bo Flood!

 

 

Ahmed Ismail Yusuf at Literary Hub

After returning from his recent appearance at the Mogadishu Book Fair, Ahmed Ismail Yusuf (The Lion’s Binding Oath) shared some of his thoughts about what this literary event means for a region in transition for Literary Hub. The event marked Ahmed’s first visit back to Mogadishu since leaving in the 1990s.

Three decades or so ago, I left Somalia for the USA. In my young and somewhat innocent mind, I was heading to Heaven on Earth, but I was not sure whether I was going to make it. I was paralyzed with fear that I was going to get lost through the international flight connections before I ever got there. And for the grace of God, if I made it to the gates of Heaven on Earth, was I going to be lucky enough to be let in? I knew that my paperwork was in order, but my inability to speak English had me laden with a herculean fear that harassed me to no end. I was fearful that I was not going to be able to respond to any question addressed to me, and who was I going to blame but myself?

Read the rest at Literary Hub: At the Mogadishu Book Fair, Literature Is Hope

Coming Attractions

We’ve had a good year so far. Since January, we’ve released four books making our current catalog six books deep. We’re really proud of the work we’ve been able to do since we’ve launched, and we’re excited about what the future holds.

Let’s talk about the future.

We can’t wait for you to read our next releases. There are kid’s books, thrillers, sci-fi, graphic novels, memoirs, fiction, non-fiction, you name it. We thought we’d share some of the great Catalyst titles coming to bookstores in the next year. Some are available for pre-order right now, if that’s your thing (we hope it’s your thing). And if you’re looking for any of our current titles, they are for sale right here on this very site, if that’s your thing (we hope that’s your thing, too). You can keep up with us as we share more news about these releases by signing up for our newsletter. Continue reading “Coming Attractions”

Q&A with Futhi Ntshingila

This Q&A with the wonderfully talented Futhi Ntshingila first appeared in our newsletter. If you’d like to see more things like this, and find out about giveaways, and events, and new releases, and lots more, you should subscribe to our newsletter. We’re fun, we’re nice, and we promise not to flood your inbox. Interested? Subscribe here. Continue reading “Q&A with Futhi Ntshingila”

Q&A with Rachel Hildebrandt Reynolds

We’re celebrating Women in Translation Month by turning the spotlight on the authors and translators who make our books so wonderful. Today, we meet Rachel Hildebrandt. Rachel is a German-language translator and one of the founders of the Global Literature in Libraries Initiative, an organization whose aim is to get world literature—particularly translation—to as wide an audience as possible. Rachel has translated several books, both fiction and non-fiction, including Fade to Black by Zoë Beck and Staying Human by Katharina Stegelmann. Her work with Global Literature in Libraries has provided an amazing resource for readers who want to read globally, and add more women’s voices to their shelves. We’re excited to bring Rachel into the #TeamCatalyst fold, as the translator for our upcoming release The Wall by Max Annas.

We chatted with Rachel about her background, her work, how readers can read more broadly, and how she uses translation to “open up windows and openings where they have been boarded up or forgotten.”

Continue reading “Q&A with Rachel Hildebrandt Reynolds”

Q&A with Reneilwe Malatji

One feature in our monthly newsletter that we just love is our Q&As with our authors. If you’re a subscriber, you’ve read some great ones, and if you’re not, let us help you! Subscribe here

We did a brief Q&A with Love Interrupted author Renielwe Malatji back in May that we’d like to share with you. Love Interrupted has already been getting some high praise. Foreword Reviews writes that the stories these stories “pack an emotional punch as they examine post-apartheid patriarchy through the eyes of various observant black women characters,” and Kirkus notes that “Many readers will see themselves in—and find themselves rooting for—the women in Malatji’s solid debut.”

Love Interrupted releases on on August 7. (And for a in-depth look at the design process for the collection’s cover, make sure to check out this Q&A with cover designer Karen Vermeulen) Continue reading “Q&A with Reneilwe Malatji”

Q&A with Martin Steyn

We’ve been re-posting interviews with Catalyst authors that originally appeared in our newsletter, because everyone—newsletter subscriber or not—should read these. Our authors are that good. But if you wanted to subscribe to our monthly newsletter, we wouldn’t mind. In fact, we’d be pretty happy about it. You’d get interviews like this plus event updates, giveaways, new release info, and more!

These past few months have been exciting for us, and Dark Traces is certainly a big part of that. The US-debut thriller by Martin Steyn has earned him quite a bit of praise. Library Journal called it a “captivating debut thriller,” and in a starred review, Kirkus praised the novel as “a dark, intriguing, and satisfying tale with strong characters.” We chatted with Martin about Dark Traces, his process, and the politics of crime writing.

Dark Traces is out now and available through Indiebound and Amazon. You can also read an excerpt from the novel here.

Continue reading “Q&A with Martin Steyn”

Q&A with Ahmed Ismail Yusuf

Earlier this month, we did a Q&A with The Lion’s Binding Oath author Ahmed Ismail Yusuf in our newsletter (What?! You don’t subscribe? Let us help: Subscribe here).

In advance of his upcoming Midwest book tour, we’re posting it here, too! Read on to learn more about Ahmed, his writing, and how books changed his life. Continue reading “Q&A with Ahmed Ismail Yusuf”