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.
In publishing news, ViacomCBS has put Simon & Schuster up for sale. The multinational media conglomerate says that the company no longer fits into their business plans. Read more on The New York Times.
On Brittle Paper, there’s a gathered series of humorous tweets showing readers how different writers have a different interpretation of Nigeria in their fiction.
Also on Brittle Paper, an article on The Life and Struggles of Our Mother Walatta Petros. Originally written in 1672, it has been translated into English and details the life of Walatta Petros, an important figure within Ethiopia’s Tawahedo Church tradition.
The Washington Post has an article on how the coronavirus has led to an increasing amount of “survival guides” for the virus on Amazon and underlines how unreliable information may be spread through self-publishing.
Continuing on the topic of the coronavirus, it persists to harm the literary industry as The Guardian reports on the cancellation of the London book fair due to fears and involuntary financial strains on publishers.
The Guardian also has an opinion piece discussing World Book Day and the tradition of dressing up to celebrate the day.
Electric Lit has a neat selection of adult novels accompanied by illustrations. From thrillers to biographies, there is something for everyone in these books with graphic elements.
Last but certainly not least, Bridget Krone author of Small Mercies, one of our latest releases, has an interview for Intralingo’s Spotlight series. Take a look at it over on Intralingo’s podcast or their YouTube channel.