Dis net vel, my pel!
It’s Just Skin, Silly!
Kariba
All Rise: Resistance and Rebellion in South Africa
Author Q&A: Richard Conyngham
We’re so excited for the upcoming release of All Rise: Resistance and Rebellion in South Africa, a graphic history of six untold legal cases that shaped the civil rights history of South Africa. Set during the pre-apartheid years, the acts of resistance and rebellion brought to life in All Rise were spearheaded by ordinary citizens from marginalized communities on a mission to improve the safety and freedoms of themselves and their loved ones. Each story is illustrated by a different South African illustrator, creating a visually arresting anthology representative of the vast beauty and complex multicultural history of the “Rainbow Nation”.
I’ve been an observer of this project from afar for many years, so it’s thrilling to see it all come together in print. And today I have the privilege of chatting with the author and historian behind the anthology, Richard Conyngham. Born and raised in South Africa and now living in Mexico City, Richard has degrees from the University of Cape Town and Cambridge University and many years of education and literary work under his belt, having worked with organizations like Equal Education, The Bookery, the London publisher Slightly Foxed, and the edtech organization MakeTomorrow. Back in 2016, he collaborated on his first graphic history with the Trantaal Brothers, an artist duo out of Cape Town (who also illustrated a chapter of All Rise), to create an illustrated companion to the O’Regan-Pikoli Commission of Inquiry into policing in Khayelitsha.
Richard spent the last six years researching and creating All Rise, and all that hard work has paid off to create a truly amazing end result. The collection is getting all sorts of hype from big names in the literary, comics and history worlds alike–including a Starred (!!) review from Kirkus–and we can’t wait to share the book with you when it hits the shelves on May 17th.
Continue reading “Author Q&A: Richard Conyngham”
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”