This month: Catalyst authors everywhere; two opportunities to save on our books; and a sneak peek at some of our upcoming titles!

Earlier this month, authors Sifiso Mzobe (Young Blood) and Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu (The Theory of Flight) appeared in virtual events. Both events are now available to watch online. Visit our site to watch Sifiso as part of Stony Brook University's Writers Speak Wednesday, and Siphiwe in conversation with Mercer University Communication Studies professor, Dr. Vasile Stanescu.

Sifiso Mzobe's book, Young Blood, was released earlier this month, and there's an excerpt from his award-winning novel at CrimeReads (where it was also named one of the Most Anticipated Crime Books of 2021).

Congratulations are in order for three of our authors: Barbara Boswell (Unmaking Grace), Joanne Hichens (Divine Justice), and Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu (The Theory of Flight). Each of these talented authors have made the longlist for the 2021 Sunday Times/CNA Literary Awards in South Africa. Barbara and Joanne have both been nominated for their non-fiction books—Barbara for And Wrote My Story Anyway: Black South African Women's Novels as Feminism (Wits Press), and Joanne for her memoir Death and the After Parties (Karavan Press); Siphiwe makes the fiction list for her novel The History of Man (Penguin Fiction). To celebrate, each of their Catalyst titles are on sale on our site from now through May 31!

In more celebration news, learn how Small Mercies author Bridget Krone celebrated World Book Day in this article in South Africa's Capital newspaper.

Last year, Luke Molver's graphic novel Shaka Rising won a Children's Africana Book Award (CABA). The ceremony was set to be held in Washington, D.C. last spring, but... well. This year, the show went on, and the CABAs celebrated both last year's and this year's winners in a virtual ceremony. Watch Luke and all of the winners make their acceptance speeches. 

Sure, Earth Day was a week ago, but there's no time limit on doing what we can to learn more about the planet we call home. We have two books in our catalog we think can help you do just that, and they're both on sale at our site right now. Just use the code EARTHDAY at checkout to save 30%.

Cat Among the Pigeons by David Muirhead: This collection of short, humorous essays is the first release from our science-focused Powers Squared imprint and a must-have for animal-lovers. Ever wonder why vervet monkeys enjoy an after-dinner drink? (Vervet monkeys. They’re just like us!) Or what Shakespeare thought of hedgehogs (Spoiler: not much)? Or why rain frogs need a rainy day to get romantic? (Hope you had a very rainy Valentine’s Day, rain frogs!) You’ll find out in this collection that blends the science, history, and myth of an assortment of African animals. The book also features illustrations by Patricia de Villiers.

Small Mercies by Bridget Krone: Meet Mercy, a young girl who lives with her foster aunts in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, two loving, but eccentric women. When developers start eyeing the house just as her Aunt Flora’s health begins to worsen, Mercy feels like her life is falling apart. But through some lessons in kindness—both from a neighbor and from a few of nature's helpers buzzing around her, she learns the power in finding your voice and standing up for what’s right.

"Another winning addition—Lolo is indeed a star!"— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

You're a Star, Lolo by Niki Daly, out May 11: The third book in author/illustrator Niki Daly's Lolo series for beginning solo readers. In You’re a Star, Lolo, join Lolo as she makes her mom an extra-special soup, goes on vacation with her Gogo, and even tracks down the scary Ghorra-Ghorra-Hoooaaah-Bwoooooo-Monster sound she keeps hearing at night!

Pre-order You're a Star, Lolo

"[A]n exciting adventure, glimpsing into the country’s history of colonial exploitation." — Foreword Reviews

Madame Livingstone illustrated by Barly Baruti, written by Christophe Cassiau-Haurie, translated by Ivanka Hahnenberger, out June 8: A historical fiction set in World War I. Sent to the Belgian Congo in 1915, aviator Gaston Mercier, a lieutenant in the Royal Belgian Army, finds himself with orders to sink a German battleship on the country’s Lake Tanganyika. But it’s not a mission he can accomplish on his own. With help from a mysterious guide, called Madame Livingstone for the Scottish kilt he wears and his claims of being the son of British explorer David Livingstone, Mercier sets out on this nearly-impossible mission.

Little by little, while the war between Belgian and German colonial powers continues and the pair hunt down the ship, Mercier learns more about the land around him, and discovers the irrevocable and tragic effects of colonialism on the local people.

Pre-order Madame Livingstone

"Plagued by secrets and a new source of insecurity in the form of a perceived rival in love, it’s uncertain whether Ebba will figure out to whom she can turn to help save herself and those she cares about." — Kirkus Reviews

The Rising Tide by Helen Brain, out June 8: Continuing the story she began in The Thousand Steps, the first book in her Fiery Spiral trilogy for young adult readers, Helen Brain's Rising Tide returns us to the life of sixteen-year-old Ebba den Eeden. After spending sixteen years underground when nuclear war caused massive sea level rise and flooded her home city of Cape Town, Ebba must use her power to stop a second apocalypse. She must listen to her instincts, even if it means destroying the things she holds most dear. Who can she trust to help stop the second “Calamity,” now just days away? Who will betray her? Ebba will learn the impossible decisions—and great sacrifice—that sometimes come with destiny. 

Pre-order The Rising TIde