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This Week in Literary News, Week of May 31

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”

This Week in Literary News, Week of April 26

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

We start off with some helpful news for parents and kids:

Brittle Paper has two features this week for children. On Mondays, Michelle Obama will be doing live streams reading classic children’s books. They’ve also made a list of easily accessible and free children’s e-books.

The Washington Post has tips to parents from a parent on how to sneak in some time for your own reading in these days full of work and chores.

Now in Literary News:

Book Riot has put together a list of the best virtual reading series out there right now. These live streams range from the west coast to the east, check out these open mics along with featured readers.

For the bookworms with more time on their hands, The New York Times has advice from interior designers on how to organize and decorate with your books.

After an Alaskan school board pulled classics from their curriculum (I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, for example), many community members have been offering students money and free food to get them to read these important classics. Check it out on The Guardian.

Brittle Paper has a list of eight trilogies by African Writers to delve into. And while you’re at it, check out our Dark Web trilogy by Peter Church.

On Read It Forward, Frances Cha has an essay that shows how diversity in literature can encourage young writers to create without fear.

This Week in Literary News, Week of April 19

This week in Catalyst News!:

We have teamed up with four publishers— City Lights, Cinco Puntos, Enchanted Lion, and Readers to Eaters— to promote a new and diverse selection of children’s books. From history to poems, take a look at these books here!

Our own Caroline Kurtz has won the Presbyterian Writers Guild’s biennial Best First Book Award for A Road Called Down on Both Sides: Growing Up in Ethiopia and America. It’s a double celebration as her sister, Jane, also won the Presbyterian Writers Guild’s David Steele Distinguished Writer Award. We wish them both congratulations!

Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu (The Theory of Flight) has an essay on Times Select. Read about the author’s thoughts on how we can all learn something from feeling powerless.

In other literature news:

The Theory of Flight by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu

Cartoonist Peter Kupur created illustrations for Earth Day to talk about Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, the book that begun to raise awareness about the environment. Check it out at The New York Times.

If you’re a history buff looking for something new to read, Electric Lit has got you covered with seven books about forgotten wars.

Lit Hub has an essay from Mai Tran, who writes about how writing becomes an outlet for those who are socially anxious.

Is there a book that you’ve been trying to get through for weeks? Read It Forward has an article on why you shouldn’t feel bad about quitting a book.

Finally, Book Riot has the finalists for the 25th Women’s Prize for Fiction Shortlist, which celebrates excellence, originality, and accessibility from women authors.

This Week in Literary News, Week of April 12

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!

And in other literary news:

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.

Coming in 2020: Upcoming Releases Part 2

A few months ago, we covered what you’ll be seeing from us in the first half of 2020. And if we did the math right, that means we owe you news about six more months of releases. So here it is! We think we’ve got something for every kind of reader — from those reading their very first books, to those who’ve been reading for just a little bit longer. Many of these books are available for pre-order now. Continue reading “Coming in 2020: Upcoming Releases Part 2”

Literary News & Notes

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! Continue reading “Literary News & Notes”

January New Releases

This has been a busy month for us! We’ve started the new year with three new releases (plus ended the last year with one, which is also included here). All of these are available at your favorite booksellers and right here at our site.

The Thousand Steps by Helen Brain

The first book in Helen’s Fiery Spiral series for Young Adult readers, The Thousand Steps is the story of 16-year-old Ebba who has lived her entire life in a bunker deep within Cape Town’s Table Mountain. When she is suddenly elevated from the bunker, she finds that everything she knew about her life, and the world “above,” was wrong. Now shouldering the immense responsibility of her new life, Ebba must fight to save her friends still trapped in the bunker and facing execution any day.

Dark Video by Peter Church

The next installment in Peter Church’s Dark Web Trilogy, Dark Video is set in the early days of internet video sharing. A group of wealthy people are willing to pay any price for unimaginable videos. Cape Town college student Alistair Morgan is lured deeper and deeper into this sinister underground world where reality blurs and morals.

Cape Town: A Place Between by Henry Trotter

The first in our Intimate Geographies Series — short books of around 100 pages— which aim to help readers go beyond the surface of fascinating places. Cape Town: A Place Between weaves the history of city’s intersecting histories and cultures with Henry’s own experiences as an American living, working, and building a life there for nearly twenty years. While not a traditional travel guide, Cape Town invites readers into the city with hopes of sparking first-hand exploration with its mix of travel narrative and literary non-fiction.

Unmaking Grace by Barbara Boswell
Released in December

Unmaking Grace is a story an intimate portrayal of the legacy of inter-generational violence set in Cape Town in the 1980s. In this gripping novel, we meet Grace whose life is forever altered by her father’s violence. In her efforts to break the cycle in her own life, she finds a measure of peace in the stability of her middle-class lifestyle—complete with loving husband and baby. But when a figure from her past returns, Grace realizes that breaking free will be more difficult than she imagined.

Introducing the Dark Web Trilogy

Peter Church’s Dark Web Trilogy takes readers to the dark side of our digital lives. Starting with Crackerjack, these interconnected techno-thrillers explore the dangers lurking in a shadowy, underground world where the virtual and the physical collide in dangerous ways.

Crackerjack (out now)

A high-powered executive vanishes, millions of dollars missing, and the only one who can solve the mystery is reformed hacker Daniel Le Fleur. The digital and the physical worlds collide in this fast-paced thriller.

“Church’s characters are strong and believable, and the plot keeps the pages turning.” —New York Journal of Books

Dark Video (out now)

Set in the early days of internet video sharing where there’s a group of wealthy people willing to pay any price for unimaginable videos. Reality blurs and morals unravel in this sinister underground world.

“[C]lever, pacy and has a thrilling climax with a sting in the tail.” —Cape Times

Bitter Pill (out now)

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.

“Church expertly juggles the multiple story lines all the way to the sordid, frantic maelstrom of the denouement.” —Publishers Weekly

Crackerjack

Continue reading “Crackerjack”

What to Expect When You’re Expecting (to Read a Book from Catalyst Press)

2020 is just around the corner (which, is simply unbelievable. Wasn’t it just summer?!), so we wanted to give you a preview about some of the great books we’ve got planned for the new year. This post will cover, roughly, the first half of 2020 (with one book that’s set for release in late 2019), and part two, covering the rest of the year, is coming soon.

Many of these books are ready for pre-order right now, so if someone (you) were looking to add a few books to the to-be-read pile, someone (you) would be in luck. All right, onward! Continue reading “What to Expect When You’re Expecting (to Read a Book from Catalyst Press)”