WE CAST A SHADOW by Maurice Carlos Ruffin has been longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award. The book was nominated by the Chicago Public Library, who deem it "a piercing exploration of the harrowing experience of being Black in America. Ruffin uses the backdrop of a near-future Southern city where an unnamed black narrator is trying to protect his mixed-race son. This dystopian satire is sharply observed and employs unsettling humor to explore the deep scourge of racism in America." The winner of the award will be announced May 20, 2021. One World published the book on January 29, 2019.

EVERYTHING NOW by Rosecrans Baldwin received a glowing blurb from YOUR HOUSE WILL PAY author Steph Cha. She writes: “I was born in Los Angeles and intend to die here—there’s no place in the world I love more. I'm also constantly furious about the many ways it falls short of its promise. Rosecrans Baldwin has taken on the unwieldy task of portraying this unique, enormous city in all its overlapping, contradictory layers, and incredibly, he succeeds. With vivid stories and a ready knowledge of local literature and history, he captures the sunshine and noir of 21st Century L.A.: both the multitudinous roar of life and the untenable, unconscionable inequality.”
MCD will publish the novel on June 15, 2021.

Ms. Magazine features Jamie Figueroa's BROTHER, SISTER, MOTHER, EXPLORER on its list of “Most Anticipated Reads for the Rest of US 2021,” calling the book "a unique and haunting debut." Catapult will publish the book on March 2, 2021.

Dawnie Walton’s THE FINAL REVIVAL OF OPAL & NEV continues to receive glowing praise ahead of its release. In a starred review, Booklist calls the novel “[a] cinematic, stereophonic, and boldly imagined story of race, gender, and agency in art.” Kirkus calls the book "[a]n intelligently executed love letter to Black female empowerment and the world of rock music." BookPage notes that “Walton’s going to be big, no question” on its “Writers to Watch: 10 Women on the Rise,” and Ms. Magazine features the book on its “Most Anticipated Reads for the Rest of US 2021.” 37 Ink published the book on March 30, 2021.

BookPage's 2021 preview names Maggie Nelson's forthcoming ON FREEDOM on their list of most anticipated nonfiction, writing: "Likely to be heady and brilliant, this work will serve as a touchstone for thoughtful readers to return to again and again in tumultuous times." Graywolf Press will publish the book on September 7, 2021.

Brian Castleberry’s NINE SHINY OBJECTS has been longlisted for the 2021 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. They call the book a "luminous debut," and quote author Jenny Offill, who writes: “In this extraordinary novel, Castleberry brilliantly hopscotches from person to person, from era to era, while somehow making all this fancy footwork look effortless and essential.” Custom House published the book on June 30, 2020.

CLOUDMAKER by Malcolm Brooks received a starred review from Library Journal. They write: “With a nod to Ivan Doig’s straightforward folksy style, this impressive second novel after PAINTED HORSES tells an earnest, heartfelt family story with laugh-out-loud humor, deep-seated family conflicts, and distressing coming-of-age crises. Enthusiastically recommended.” Grove Press will publish the book on March 9, 2021.

THE BLOSSOM AND THE FIREFLY by Sherri L. Smith is a finalist for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Golden Kite Award for Young Adult Fiction. Smith’s novel is among the five books chosen by a panel of well-regarded authors from the thousand titles submitted to the award. G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers published the book on February 18, 2020.

An excerpt from THE MUTANT PROJECT by Eben Kirksey published in Sapiens Anthropology Magazine. St. Martin’s Press published the book on October 10, 2020.

Alex McElroy’s THE ATMOSPHERIANS continues to receive wonderful praise in advance of its May publication. Pulitzer Prize-nominated author of IN THE DISTANCE Hernan Diaz calls the book “[r]arefied, unstable, charged,” and “[a] sophisticated farce about alienation [that] takes our absurd age seriously –which is to say it laughs, darkly, in its face.” Meanwhile, WHY VISIT AMERICA AND HYBRID CREATURES author Matt Baker deems McElroy’s work “[a]n astonishing vision. Every page contains a new wonder, another breathtaking surprise. This novel satisfies a hunger you might have never even realized was there.” Atria Books will publish the novel on May 18, 2021.