"As universally touching as it is original." -The New York TimesBlack Caucus of the American Library Association 2015 Honor Book in FictionO, The Oprah Magazine "10 Titles to Pick Up Now"A glorious and moving multigenerational, multicultural saga that sweeps from the 1940s through the 1960s in Trinidad and the United States.In a seaside village in the north of Trinidad, young Marcia Garcia, a gifted and smart-mouthed sixteen-year-old seamstress, lives alone, raising two small boys and guarding a family secret. When she meets Farouk Karam, an ambitious young policeman (so taken with Marcia that he elicits help from a tea-brewing obeah woman to guarantee her ardor), the rewards and risks in Marcia's life amplify forever.'Til the Well Runs Dry sees Marcia and Farouk from their sassy and passionate courtship through personal and historical events that threaten Marcia's secret, entangle the couple and their children in a tumultuous scandal, and put the future in doubt for all of them.With this deeply human novel, Lauren Francis-Sharma gives us an unforgettable story about a woman's love for a man, a mother's love for her children, and a people's love for an island rich with calypso and Carnival, cricket and salty air, sweet fruits and spicy stews-a story of grit, imperfection, steadfast love and of Trinidad that has never been told before. BIO Lauren Francis-Sharma, a child of Trinidadian immigrants, was born in New York City and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature with a minor in African-American Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. She lives in the Washington, D.C., area with her husband and two children. 'Til the Well Runs Dry is her first novel. REVIEWS “Lauren Francis-Sharma's talent shines.” -- USA Today“Marcia's story, told lovingly in this, Francis-Sharma's debut novel, is as universally touching as it is original.” -- The New York Times (Sunday Book Review Shortlist)“You'll hear the calypso music in this vivid debut about a spirited seamstress and devoted mother with a family secret.” -- People“Have you ever met a family whose every tear, every triumph, every heartbreak made your heart leap? I could not put this book down. An unforgettable journey.” -- Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of the New York Times bestseller Wench“Lauren Francis-Sharma is a true story-teller.‘Til the Well Runs Dry burns through its telling like the best gossip, but has the controlled mystery of a fairytale. This narrative is surprising, winding and always gratifying.” -- Tiphanie Yanique, author of Land of Love and Drowning“'Til The Well Runs Dry is unforgettable. Like the best poetry, it has all the high notes: a beautiful girl, a spell that leads to love and death, and a terrible secret -- in language pierced with the cries and colors of the West Indies. But this is not just a story; it's the author's retelling of her own origins. Sweet, brutal, and unsparing, this is Lauren Francis-Sharma's first book, yet she commands the page.” -- Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Deep End of the Ocean [P] Picador USA / September 15, 2015 0.7" H x 8.3" L x 5.5" W (0.6 lbs) 416 pages

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A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection! From award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Ibi Zoboi comes her groundbreaking contemporary fantasy debut—a novel in verse based on Caribbean folklore—about the power of inherited magic and the price we must pay to live the life we yearn for. “Our new home with its thick walls and locked doors wants me to stay trapped in my skin— but I am fury and flame.” Fifteen-year-old Marisol is the daughter of a soucouyant. Every new moon, she sheds her skin like the many women before her, shifting into a fireball witch who must fly into the night and slowly sip from the lives of others to sustain her own. But Brooklyn is no place for fireball witches with all its bright lights, shut windows, and bolt-locked doors.… While Marisol hoped they would leave their old traditions behind when they emigrated from the islands, she knows this will never happen while she remains ensnared by the one person who keeps her chained to her magical past—her mother. Seventeen-year-old Genevieve is the daughter of a college professor and a newly minted older half sister of twins. Her worsening skin condition and the babies’ constant wailing keep her up at night, when she stares at the dark sky with a deep longing to inhale it all. She hopes to quench the hunger that gnaws at her, one that seems to reach for some memory of her estranged mother. When a new nanny arrives to help with the twins, a family secret connecting her to Marisol is revealed, and Gen begins to find answers to questions she hasn’t even thought to ask. But the girls soon discover that the very skin keeping their flames locked beneath the surface may be more explosive to the relationships around them than any ancient magic. BIO Ibi Zoboi is the New York Times bestselling author of American Street, a National Book Award finalist; Nigeria Jones, a Coretta Scott King Award winner; Pride; My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich; Okoye to the People: A Black Panther Novel for Marvel; and the Walter Award and LA Times Book Prize–winning Punching the Air, cowritten with Exonerated Five member Yusef Salaam. She is also a two-time Coretta Scott King Honor Award winner for her picture book The People Remember and her middle grade biography of Octavia Butler, Star Child. She is the editor of the anthology Black Enough. Born in Haiti and raised in New York City, she now lives in New Jersey with her family. You can find her online at ibizoboi.net. REVIEWS "Bold and exciting; employing alternating perspectives, the author plays with language and the book’s format to craft fully realized characters by exploring their envies and desires. Readers will fly through Zoboi’s latest masterpiece and crave more stories featuring Caribbean folklore. An ambitious contemporary fantasy that will grip readers from the first page." -- Booklist (starred review) “The girls’ intertwined tales, blurring and shifting over the course of the narrative, unfold in lyrical alternating first-person verse and are cleverly used to discuss beauty ideals and colorism. Readers will enjoy the ways the monstrous characters’ human facades shift. A vividly creative, heart-pounding poetic journey infused with Caribbean folklore.” -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "The stage is set for secrets and supernatural discoveries. The slow, methodical unraveling of how interwoven the two teenage girls’ stories is the treat of this sharp verse narrative that initially alternates between their POVs. The conclusion is executed with the laudable ambitions of reconciling the seemingly irreconcilable." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review) “Ambitious and unapologetic in its rendering, deftly addressing themes of colorism, assimilation, and inheritance. This fast-paced fever dream of a tale crackles and sparks on the page—almost burning the fingertips as it weaves folklore into reality; these dynamic girls reckoning with an inescapable lineage will change the way you look at the night sky.' -- Amber McBride, National Book Award finalist and author of Me (Moth) [H] Versify / February 11, 2025 For ages 13 and up

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection!
From award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Ibi Zoboi comes her groundbreaking contemporary fantasy debut—a novel in verse based on Caribbean folklore—about the power of inherited magic and the price we must pay to live the life we yearn for.
“Our new home with its
thick walls and locked doors
wants me to stay trapped in my skin—
but I am fury and flame.”
Fifteen-year-old Marisol is the daughter of a soucouyant. Every new moon, she sheds her skin like the many women before her, shifting into a fireball witch who must fly into the night and slowly sip from the lives of others to sustain her own. But Brooklyn is no place for fireball witches with all its bright lights, shut windows, and bolt-locked doors.… While Marisol hoped they would leave their old traditions behind when they emigrated from the islands, she knows this will never happen while she remains ensnared by the one person who keeps her chained to her magical past—her mother.
Seventeen-year-old Genevieve is the daughter of a college professor and a newly minted older half sister of twins. Her worsening skin condition and the babies’ constant wailing keep her up at night, when she stares at the dark sky with a deep longing to inhale it all. She hopes to quench the hunger that gnaws at her, one that seems to reach for some memory of her estranged mother. When a new nanny arrives to help with the twins, a family secret connecting her to Marisol is revealed, and Gen begins to find answers to questions she hasn’t even thought to ask.
But the girls soon discover that the very skin keeping their flames locked beneath the surface may be more explosive to the relationships around them than any ancient magic.
BIO
<meta charset="utf-8">Ibi Zoboi is the New York Times bestselling author of American Street, a National Book Award finalist; Nigeria Jones, a Coretta Scott King Award winner; Pride; My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich; Okoye to the People: A Black Panther Novel for Marvel; and the Walter Award and LA Times Book Prize&amp;#8211;winning Punching the Air, cowritten with Exonerated Five member Yusef Salaam. She is also a two-time Coretta Scott King Honor Award winner for her picture book The People Remember and her middle grade biography of Octavia Butler, Star Child. She is the editor of the anthology Black Enough. Born in Haiti and raised in New York City, she now lives in New Jersey with her family. You can find her online at ibizoboi.net.
REVIEWS
"Bold and exciting; employing alternating perspectives, the author plays with language and the book’s format to craft fully realized characters by exploring their envies and desires. Readers will fly through Zoboi’s latest masterpiece and crave more stories featuring Caribbean folklore. An ambitious contemporary fantasy that will grip readers from the first page." -- Booklist (starred review)
“The girls’ intertwined tales, blurring and shifting over the course of the narrative, unfold in lyrical alternating first-person verse and are cleverly used to discuss beauty ideals and colorism. Readers will enjoy the ways the monstrous characters’ human facades shift. A vividly creative, heart-pounding poetic journey infused with Caribbean folklore.” -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"The stage is set for secrets and supernatural discoveries. The slow, methodical unraveling of how interwoven the two teenage girls’ stories is the treat of this sharp verse narrative that initially alternates between their POVs. The conclusion is executed with the laudable ambitions of reconciling the seemingly irreconcilable." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)
“Ambitious and unapologetic in its rendering, deftly addressing themes of colorism, assimilation, and inheritance. This fast-paced fever dream of a tale crackles and sparks on the page—almost burning the fingertips as it weaves folklore into reality; these dynamic girls reckoning with an inescapable lineage will change the way you look at the night sky.' -- Amber McBride, National Book Award finalist and author of Me (Moth)
[H] Versify  /  February 11, 2025
For ages 13 and up

(S)kin /// Ibi Zoboi /// new

Hardcover

A highly opinionated wine guide from one of the country's most celebrated — and unorthodox — sommeliers and winemakers In this entertaining, informative, and thoroughly unconventional wine guide, award-winning sommelier, winemaker, and wine educator André Mack presents listeners with the 99 bottles that have most impacted his life. Instead of just pairing wines with foods, Mack pairs practical information with personal stories, offering up recommendations alongside reflections on being one of the only African-Americans to ever work at the top level of the American wine industry. The 99 bottles range from highly accessible commercial wines to the most rarefied Bordeaux on the wine list at The French Laundry, and each bottle offers listeners something to learn about wine. This window into Mack's life combines a maverick's perspective on the wine industry with an insider's advice on navigating wine lists, purchasing wine, and drinking more diverse and interesting selections at home. 99 Bottles is a one-of-a-kind exploration of wine culture today from a true trailblazer. BIO André Mack, one of the US’s top sommeliers, worked at both The French Laundry and Per Se. He is the founder of the Mouton Noir wine, annually producing 13 varietals in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, and he is also a graphic designer and visual artist. His first wine bar is slated to open in early 2019. Mack lives in Brooklyn, New York. [H] Abrams Image / October 29, 2019 0.8" H x 9.0" L x 6.5" W (1.5 lbs) 256 pages

99 Bottles: A Black Sheep's Guide to Life-Changing Wines /// André Hueston Mack, illustrations by Rob Deborde

In this poignant mixed voice, mixed form collection of interconnected prose, poems and stories, teen characters, their families, and their communities grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst fear and loss, these New York City teens prevail with love, resilience and hope. From the award-winning author of Chlorine Sky and Vinyl Moon.“[A] gorgeous, tender testament to the generation of young people who shouldered the pandemic.”–Brendan Kiely, award-winning and New York Times bestselling authorGrief, pain, hope, and love collide in this short story collection.In New York City, teens, their families, and their communities feel the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst the fear and loss, these teens and the adults around them persevere with love and hope while living in difficult circumstances: Malachi writes an Armageddon short story inspired by his pandemic reality. Tariq helps their ailing grandmother survive during quarantine. Zamira struggles with depression and loneliness after losing her parents. Mohamed tries to help keep his community spirit alive. A social worker reflects on the ways the foster system fails their children. From award-winning author Mahogany L. Browne comes a poignant collection of interconnected prose, poems, and lists about the humanity and resilience of New Yorkers during the Covid-19 pandemic. BIO Mahogany L. Browne, a Kennedy Center’s Next 50 fellow, is a writer, playwright, organizer, and educator. Browne received fellowships from All Arts, Arts for Justice, Air Serenbe, Baldwin for the Arts, Cave Canem, Poets House, Mellon Research, Rauschenberg, and Wesleyan University. Browne’s books include A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe, Vinyl Moon, Chlorine Sky (optioned for Steppenwolf Theater), Black Girl Magic, and banned books Woke: A Young Poets Call to Justice and Woke Baby. Founder of the diverse litinitiative Woke Baby Book Fair, Browne is the 2024 Paterson Poetry Prize winner. She is the inaugural poet-in-residence at the Lincoln Center and lives in Brooklyn, NY. [H] Crown Books for Young Readers / March 11, 2025 0.69" H x 8.55" L x 5.53" W (0.61 lbs) 160 pages For ages 12 and up

In this poignant mixed voice, mixed form collection of interconnected prose, poems and stories, teen characters, their families, and their communities grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst fear and loss, these New York City teens prevail with love, resilience and hope. From the award-winning author of Chlorine Sky and Vinyl Moon. “[A] gorgeous, tender testament to the generation of young people who shouldered the pandemic.” –Brendan Kiely, award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Grief, pain, hope, and love collide in this short story collection. In New York City, teens, their families, and their communities feel the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst the fear and loss, these teens and the adults around them persevere with love and hope while living in difficult circumstances: 
<ul>
<li>Malachi writes an Armageddon short story inspired by his pandemic reality.</li>
<li>Tariq helps their ailing grandmother survive during quarantine.</li>
<li>Zamira struggles with depression and loneliness after losing her parents.</li>
<li>Mohamed tries to help keep his community spirit alive.</li>
<li>A social worker reflects on the ways the foster system fails their children.</li>
</ul>
 From award-winning author Mahogany L. Browne comes a poignant collection of interconnected prose, poems, and lists about the humanity and resilience of New Yorkers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
BIO
<meta charset="utf-8">Mahogany L. Browne, a Kennedy Center’s Next 50 fellow, is a writer, playwright, organizer, and educator. Browne received fellowships from All Arts, Arts for Justice, Air Serenbe, Baldwin for the Arts, Cave Canem, Poets House, Mellon Research, Rauschenberg, and Wesleyan University. Browne’s books include A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe, Vinyl Moon, Chlorine Sky (optioned for Steppenwolf Theater), Black Girl Magic, and banned books Woke: A Young Poets Call to Justice and Woke Baby. Founder of the diverse litinitiative Woke Baby Book Fair, Browne is the 2024 Paterson Poetry Prize winner. She is the inaugural poet-in-residence at the Lincoln Center and lives in Brooklyn, NY.
[H]  Crown Books for Young Readers  /  March 11, 2025
<meta charset="utf-8">0.69" H x 8.55" L x 5.53" W (0.61 lbs) 160 pages
For ages 12 and up

A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe /// Mahogany L. Browne /// new

Winner of the Man Booker PrizeOne of Entertainment Weekly's Top 10 Books of the Decade One of the Top 10 Books of 2014 - Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times A "thrilling, ambitious . . . intense" (Los Angeles Times) novel that explores the attempted assassination of Bob Marley in the late 1970s, from the author of Black Leopard, Red Wolf In A Brief History of Seven Killings, Marlon James combines masterful storytelling with his unrivaled skill at characterization and his meticulous eye for detail to forge a novel of dazzling ambition and scope. On December 3, 1976, just before the Jamaican general election and two days before Bob Marley was to play the Smile Jamaica Concert to ease political tensions in Kingston, seven unnamed gunmen stormed the singer's house, machine guns blazing. The attack wounded Marley, his wife, and his manager, and injured several others. Little was officially released about the gunmen, but rumors abounded regarding the assassins' fates. A Brief History of Seven Killings is James's fictional exploration of that dangerous and unstable time in Jamaica's history and beyond. Deftly spanning decades and continents and peopled with a wide range of characters--assassins, drug dealers, journalists, and even ghosts--James brings to life the people who walked the streets of 1970s Kingston, who dominated the crack houses of 1980s New York, and who reemerged into a radically altered Jamaica of the 1990s. Brilliantly inventive, A Brief History of Seven Killings is an "exhilarating" (The New York Times) epic that's been called "a tour de force" (The Wall Street Journal). BIO Marlon James was born in Jamaica in 1970. His most recent novel, A Brief History of Seven Killings, won the 2015 Man Booker Prize. It was also a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and won the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature for fiction, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for fiction, and the Minnesota Book Award. It was also a New York Times Notable Book. James is also the author of The Book of Night Women, which won the 2010 Dayton Literary Peace Prize and the Minnesota Book Award, and was a finalist for the 2010 National Book Critics Circle Award in fiction and an NAACP Image Award. His first novel, John Crow's Devil, was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for first fiction and the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and was a New York Times Editors' Choice. James lives in Minneapolis. REVIEWS "How to describe Marlon James's monumental new novel A Brief History of Seven Killings? It's like a Tarantino remake of The Harder They Come but with a soundtrack by Bob Marley and a script by Oliver Stone and William Faulkner, with maybe a little creative boost from some primo ganja. It's epic in every sense of that word: sweeping, mythic, over-the-top, colossal and dizzyingly complex. It's also raw, dense, violent, scalding, darkly comic, exhilarating and exhausting--a testament to Mr. James's vaulting ambition and prodigious talent." --Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times "James has written a dangerous book, one full of lore and whispers and history... [a] great book... James nibbles at theories of who did what and why, and scripts Marley's quest for revenge with the pace of a thriller. His achievement, however, goes far beyond opening up this terrible moment in the life of a great musician. He gives us the streets, the people, especially the desperate, the Jamaicans whom Marley exhorted to: 'Open your eyes and look within: / Are you satisfied with the life you're living?'" -- The Boston Globe "A sweeping novel that touches on family, friendship, celebrity, art, sexuality, ghetto politics, geopolitics, drug trade, gender, race and more, sending the reader from Jamaica to New York via Miami and Cuba and back." -- Newsweek [H] Riverhead Books / October 02, 2014 ﻿1.41" H x 9.55" L x 6.42" W (2.2 lbs) 688 pages [P] Riverhead Books / September 08, 2015 1.7" H x 8.2" L x 5.4" W (1.35 lbs) 704 pages

A Brief History of Seven Killings /// Marlon James

"A dozen interlinked, music-oriented stories set in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, where Garricks was raised... Each songlike story feels like a breakout hit encapsulating the brokenness and the beauty in life’s soundtrack."—Booklist, starred review “Beautifully woven . . . a magical delight.”—Hari Kunzru, author of White Tears A Broken People’s Playlist is set to the soundtrack of life, comprised of twelve music-inspired tales about love, the human condition, micro-moments, and the search for meaning and sometimes, redemption. It is also Chimeka Garricks’s love letter to his native city, Port Harcourt, introducing us to a cast of indelible characters in these loosely interlocked tales. There is the teenage wannabe-DJ eager to play his first gig even as his family disastrously falls apart—who reappears many years later as an unhappy middle-aged man drunk-calling his ex-wife; a man who throws a living funeral for his dying brother; three friends who ponder penis captivus and one’s peculiar erectile dysfunction; a troubled woman who tries to find her peace-place in the world, helped by a headful of songs and a pot of ginger tea. Infused with the author’s resonant and evocative storytelling, each page holds “the depth of a novel” (Hari Kunzru); a character, a moment that will—like a favorite song—long linger in the heart and mind. BIO Chimeka Garricks is a Nigerian-Irish writer, editor, screenwriter, and script doctor. His work includes a collection of short stories, A Broken People's Playlist, a novel, and a script in development. He lives in the United Kingdom. REVIEWS "A dozen interlinked, music-oriented stories set in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, where Garricks was raised... Each songlike story feels like a breakout hit encapsulating the brokenness and the beauty in life’s soundtrack." -- Booklist (starred review) "These stories will stay with you long after you’ve turned the final page." -- She Reads, Best Book Club Pick of Spring 2023 "A Broken People’s Playlist is an addictive collection of authentic prose. Story after story made me stop to reflect on the complexities of life, our various loves––be it family, friendship or romance––and the way we’re all connected. Elegant, graceful and full of understanding, Garrick’s writing unwraps stories that touch the soul and make you glad to be part of the human race." -- Bisi Adjapon, author of The Teller of Secrets and Daughter in Exile [H] Harpervia / March 21, 2023 1.02" H x 8.35" L x 5.67" W (0.7 lbs) 224 pages [P] Harpervia / January 21, 2025 0.7" H x 8.2" L x 5.2" W (0.4 lbs) 224 pages

"A dozen interlinked, music-oriented stories set in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, where Garricks was raised... Each songlike story feels like a breakout hit encapsulating the brokenness and the beauty in life’s soundtrack."—Booklist, starred review
“Beautifully woven . . . a magical delight.”—Hari Kunzru, author of White Tears
A Broken People’s Playlist is set to the soundtrack of life, comprised of twelve music-inspired tales about love, the human condition, micro-moments, and the search for meaning and sometimes, redemption. It is also Chimeka Garricks’s love letter to his native city, Port Harcourt, introducing us to a cast of indelible characters in these loosely interlocked tales.
There is the teenage wannabe-DJ eager to play his first gig even as his family disastrously falls apart—who reappears many years later as an unhappy middle-aged man drunk-calling his ex-wife; a man who throws a living funeral for his dying brother; three friends who ponder penis captivus and one’s peculiar erectile dysfunction; a troubled woman who tries to find her peace-place in the world, helped by a headful of songs and a pot of ginger tea.
Infused with the author’s resonant and evocative storytelling, each page holds “the depth of a novel” (Hari Kunzru); a character, a moment that will—like a favorite song—long linger in the heart and mind.
BIO
<meta charset="utf-8">Chimeka Garricks is a Nigerian-Irish writer, editor, screenwriter, and script doctor. His work includes a collection of short stories, A Broken People's Playlist, a novel, and a script in development. He lives in the United Kingdom.
REVIEWS
"A dozen interlinked, music-oriented stories set in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, where Garricks was raised... Each songlike story feels like a breakout hit encapsulating the brokenness and the beauty in life’s soundtrack." -- Booklist (starred review)
"These stories will stay with you long after you’ve turned the final page." -- She Reads, Best Book Club Pick of Spring 2023
"A Broken People’s Playlist is an addictive collection of authentic prose. Story after story made me stop to reflect on the complexities of life, our various loves––be it family, friendship or romance––and the way we’re all connected. Elegant, graceful and full of understanding, Garrick’s writing unwraps stories that touch the soul and make you glad to be part of the human race." -- Bisi Adjapon, author of The Teller of Secrets and Daughter in Exile
[H]  Harpervia  /  March 21, 2023
<meta charset="utf-8"><meta charset="utf-8">1.02" H x 8.35" L x 5.67" W (0.7 lbs) 224 pages 
[P]  Harpervia  /  January 21, 2025
<meta charset="utf-8">0.7" H x 8.2" L x 5.2" W (0.4 lbs) 224 pages

A Broken People's Playlist: Stories (from Songs) /// Chimeka Garricks

Winner of the 1988 Before Columbus Foundation National Book Award, this path-breaking collection of essays is a clarion call to build communities that nurture our spirit. Lorde announces the need for a radical politics of intersectionality while struggling to maintain her own faith as she wages a battle against liver cancer. From reflections on her struggle with the disease to thoughts on lesbian sexuality and African-American identity in a straight white man's world, Lorde's voice remains enduringly relevant in today's political landscape. Those who practice and encourage social justice activism frequently quote her exhortation, "Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare." In addition to the journal entries of "A Burst of Light: Living with Cancer," this edition includes an interview, "Sadomasochism: Not About Condemnation," and three essays, "I Am Your Sister: Black Women Organizing Across Sexualities," "Apartheid U.S.A.," and "Turning the Beat Around: Lesbian Parenting 1986," as well as a new Foreword by Sonia Sanchez. BIO A great American theorist of race, sexuality, gender, living, and dying, poet and activist Audre Lorde (1934–1992) created a body of work that was ahead of its time in its embrace of intersectionality. Her debut poetry collection, 1973's From a Land Where Other People Live, was nominated for the National Book Award and she was named New York State's Poet Laureate and received the Bill Whitehead Award for Lifetime Achievement. Other notable works include The Cancer Journals, her novel Zami, and the collection Sister Outsider. A member of the Black Arts Movement and a prominent advocate of the Afro-German identity during her years studying in Berlin, Lorde's writings have become increasingly influential since her death in 1992 of liver cancer. REVIEWS "You don't read Audre Lorde, you feel her." -- Essence"Lorde's timeless prose in this collection provides contemporary social justice warriors the language, strategies, and lessons around resistance, through the power of intersectionality, a Pan-African vision, and — ultimately — through the power of love and radical self-care." -- NBC News"When I don't know what to do, I turn to the Lorde." -- Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Bitch Media"Whenever my mind is heavy with questions and my heart thirsts for nourishment, I turn to the writing of Audre Lorde. Every time I revisit the words of Audre Lorde, I marvel over how relevant they continue to be." -- AfterEllen.com "The self-described black feminist lesbian mother poet used a mixture of prose, theory, poetry, and experience to interrogate oppressions and uplift marginalized communities. She was one of the first black feminists to target heteronormativity, and to encourage black feminists to expand their understanding of erotic pleasure. She amplified anti-oppression, even as breast cancer ravaged her ailing body." -- Evette Dionne, Bustle Magazine [H] Ixia Press / September 13, 2017 0.6" H x 8.7" L x 5.8" W (0.6 lbs) 144 pages [P] Lushena Press / June 29, 2023 0.29" H x 8.5" L x 5.5" W (0.3 lbs) 108 pages

A Burst of Light: and Other Essays /// Audre Lorde, foreword by Sonia Sanchez, illustrations by Jen Keenan

A new cookbook for beginners and curious cooks by Emmy Award–winning talk show host and journalist Tamron Hall and her good friend, award-winning chef Lish Steiling.When Tamron Hall and Lish Steiling first met while working at the Today show, they never imagined that their friendship would lead to endless kitchen adventures filled with laughs, learning, and even tears of pure joy. In A Confident Cook, they share that same empowerment and excitement with those who are just beginning to cook.Learn how to select the tools you need (and skip the ones you don’t!), how to stock your pantry, and how to cook for one, two, or a whole group. This book is packed with scrumptious recipes, including Baked French Toast with Sparkling Berries, Crispy Fried Chicken, Harissa Roasted Carrots with Queso Fresco, and Chai-Spiced Pudding, as well as cocktails and mocktails like the delicious “Not Tonight, Satan.” Throughout, Lish and Tamron chat, teach, learn, and inspire you to keep it going in the kitchen! BIO Tamron Hall is an American broadcast journalist, television talk show host and author. In September 2019, Hall debuted her self-titled syndicated daytime talk show, which has earned her two Daytime Emmy Awards. REVIEWS “Lish and Tamron’s passion for cooking and sharing meals with family and friends comes crashing through the pages of this playful compendium of simple, delicious recipes and techniques. The book is chatty and personal, with very clear directions on how to really set up your kitchen and become a confident cook. With irresistible recipes like Big Citrus Dutch Baby with Ice Cream Sauce for brunch and Chicken Thighs with Dates and Olives for dinner, I am in. You need this book!” -- Suzanne Goin “Get ready for a culinary adventure like no other! A Confident Cook is not your average recipe collection. It’s a conversation between friends. Join Lish and Tamron as they deliver simple and tasty twists to your favorite dishes, from classics to favorites. Get ready to explore a whole new world of deliciousness!” -- Carla Hall“A Confident Cook is what happens when two genuine pros collaborate—in this case, a seasoned chef and an acclaimed host/interviewer. Together, Tamron and Lish get at the very heart and soul of cooking, why it matters, how it connects us, and how truly satisfying it can be when done with patience and love. Theirs is a friendship worth celebrating!” -- Gail Simmons“A Confident Cook is the perfect title for this book. It will give you the skills and tips you’ve always wanted and will make you feel great in the kitchen. It is amazing to see a professional like Lish teach her friend Tamron the ins and outs of cooking. Lish makes everything look so easy due to her vast background, and has an extremely wide range of what she can cook. You will use this book day in and day out as your reference bible for things we all want to master—the perfectly cooked eggs, the crispiest roast chicken, the ultimate potatoes, the simplest desserts that will make you look like a pro. Brava, Tamron and Lish.” -- Missy Robbins [H] Hyperion Avenue / September 03, 2024 0.9" H x 9.7" L x 7.7" W (2.7 lbs) 256 pages

A new cookbook for beginners and curious cooks by Emmy Award–winning talk show host and journalist Tamron Hall and her good friend, award-winning chef Lish Steiling. When Tamron Hall and Lish Steiling first met while working at the Today show, they never imagined that their friendship would lead to endless kitchen adventures filled with laughs, learning, and even tears of pure joy. In A Confident Cook, they share that same empowerment and excitement with those who are just beginning to cook. Learn how to select the tools you need (and skip the ones you don’t!), how to stock your pantry, and how to cook for one, two, or a whole group. This book is packed with scrumptious recipes, including Baked French Toast with Sparkling Berries, Crispy Fried Chicken, Harissa Roasted Carrots with Queso Fresco, and Chai-Spiced Pudding, as well as cocktails and mocktails like the delicious “Not Tonight, Satan.” Throughout, Lish and Tamron chat, teach, learn, and inspire you to keep it going in the kitchen!
BIO
<meta charset="utf-8">Tamron Hall is an American broadcast journalist, television talk show host and author. In September 2019, Hall debuted her self-titled syndicated daytime talk show, which has earned her two Daytime Emmy Awards.
REVIEWS
“Lish and Tamron’s passion for cooking and sharing meals with family and friends comes crashing through the pages of this playful compendium of simple, delicious recipes and techniques. The book is chatty and personal, with very clear directions on how to really set up your kitchen and become a confident cook. With irresistible recipes like Big Citrus Dutch Baby with Ice Cream Sauce for brunch and Chicken Thighs with Dates and Olives for dinner, I am in. You need this book!”  -- Suzanne Goin   “Get ready for a culinary adventure like no other! A Confident Cook is not your average recipe collection. It’s a conversation between friends. Join Lish and Tamron as they deliver simple and tasty twists to your favorite dishes, from classics to favorites. Get ready to explore a whole new world of deliciousness!” -- Carla Hall “A Confident Cook is what happens when two genuine pros collaborate—in this case, a seasoned chef and an acclaimed host/interviewer. Together, Tamron and Lish get at the very heart and soul of cooking, why it matters, how it connects us, and how truly satisfying it can be when done with patience and love. Theirs is a friendship worth celebrating!” -- Gail Simmons “A Confident Cook is the perfect title for this book. It will give you the skills and tips you’ve always wanted and will make you feel great in the kitchen. It is amazing to see a professional like Lish teach her friend Tamron the ins and outs of cooking. Lish makes everything look so easy due to her vast background, and has an extremely wide range of what she can cook. You will use this book day in and day out as your reference bible for things we all want to master—the perfectly cooked eggs, the crispiest roast chicken, the ultimate potatoes, the simplest desserts that will make you look like a pro. Brava, Tamron and Lish.”  -- Missy Robbins
[H]  Hyperion Avenue  /  September 03, 2024
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A Confident Cook: Recipes for Joyous, No-Pressure Fun in the Kitchen /// Tamron Hall, Lish Sterling

A Domestic Cook Book (1866) by Malinda Russell is the oldest known published cookbook written by an African American woman. Born in Tennessee, and descended from Virginia freemen, Russell decided to move to Liberia at the age of 19. When her money for the trip was stolen, she was stranded in Lynchburg, Virginia, and began working as a cook and companion, traveling with women as a nurse. After living in Lynchburg for only four years, Russell’s husband died and she moved with her son to Tennessee where she kept a boarding house and then went on to run a pastry shop. After a second dramatic robbery in 1864, Russell moved to Paw Paw, Michigan, because she had heard it was the “garden of the west” and published a cookbook “with the intention of benefiting the public” as well as supporting herself. A Domestic Cook Book contains 260 recipes and household tips that draw from Malinda Russell’s twenty years of experience cooking in Southern kitchens, her boarding house, and her pastry shop, and showcase her skills as a pastry chef. This new edition includes a foreword by scholar Rafia Zafar as well as an introduction by the late food historian Janice Bluestein Longone that contextualize Russell’s cookbook. Using the only known copy of the original book housed in the Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive at the University of Michigan Library's Special Collections Research Center, this new edition preserves an important part of Michigan and American history and makes it widely available to readers for the first time. BIO Malinda Russell was born and raised in eastern Tennessee. In 1864, Russell moved to Michigan, where she settled in the Paw Paw area and published this volume in 1866. [P] University of Michigan Regional / February 18, 2025 120 pages

A Domestic Cook Book (1866) by Malinda Russell is the oldest known published cookbook written by an African American woman. Born in Tennessee, and descended from Virginia freemen, Russell decided to move to Liberia at the age of 19. When her money for the trip was stolen, she was stranded in Lynchburg, Virginia, and began working as a cook and companion, traveling with women as a nurse. After living in Lynchburg for only four years, Russell’s husband died and she moved with her son to Tennessee where she kept a boarding house and then went on to run a pastry shop. After a second dramatic robbery in 1864, Russell moved to Paw Paw, Michigan, because she had heard it was the “garden of the west” and published a cookbook “with the intention of benefiting the public” as well as supporting herself.
A Domestic Cook Book contains 260 recipes and household tips that draw from Malinda Russell’s twenty years of experience cooking in Southern kitchens, her boarding house, and her pastry shop, and showcase her skills as a pastry chef. This new edition includes a foreword by scholar Rafia Zafar as well as an introduction by the late food historian Janice Bluestein Longone that contextualize Russell’s cookbook. Using the only known copy of the original book housed in the Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive at the University of Michigan Library's Special Collections Research Center, this new edition preserves an important part of Michigan and American history and makes it widely available to readers for the first time.
BIO
Malinda Russell was born and raised in eastern Tennessee. In 1864, Russell moved to Michigan, where she settled in the Paw Paw area and published this volume in 1866.
[P]  University of Michigan Regional  /  February 18, 2025
<meta charset="utf-8">120 pages

A Domestic Cook Book Containing a Careful Selection of Useful Receipts for the Kitchen /// Malinda Russell

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection Expert quilter Kim Taylor shares a unique and powerful story of the celebration of the first Juneteenth, from the perspective of a young girl.On June 19, 1865, in Galveston, General Gordon Granger of the Union Army delivered the message that African Americans in Texas were free. Since then, Juneteenth, as the day has come to be known, has steadily gained recognition throughout the United States. ln 2020,a powerful wave of protests and demonstrations calling for racial justice and equality brought new awareness to the significance of the holiday.A Flag for Juneteenth depicts a close-knit community of enslaved African Americans on a plantation in Texas, the day before the announcement is to be made that all enslaved people are free. Young Huldah, who is preparing to celebrate her tenth birthday, can’t possibly anticipate how much her life will change that Juneteenth morning. The story follows Huldah and her community as they process the news of their freedom and celebrate together by creating a community freedom flag. Debut author and artist Kim Taylor sets this story apart by applying her skills as an expert quilter. Each of the illustrations has been lovingly hand sewn and quilted, giving the book a homespun, tactile quality that is altogether unique. BIO Kim Taylor is a speech language pathologist and Department Supervisor at a large school for deaf children on Long Island. She is also an expert quilter whose works have been exhibited at several venues throughout the Midatlantic region. Taylor’s quilts reflect African American life, and she tells stories through her materials (visit Kim’s website to see her quilts). After researching the origins of the Juneteenth celebration, she created a Juneteenth story quilt which she has exhibited and presented in dozens of local schools. Realizing that few teachers and students had ever heard of the holiday, she was moved to write the book A Flag for Juneteenth. REVIEWS “The picture book . . . not only reveals Taylor’s considerable talents as an inspiring raconteur but as a self-taught quilter whose creations uniquely and symbolically illustrate the historically based narrative.” -- Newsday★ ”Kim Taylor’s portrayal of a girl witnessing the first Juneteenth, accompanied by exquisite quilted artwork, is filled with a spirit of jubilation and freedom. . . . her textile art perfectly complements her evocative prose. . . .” -- BookPage, Starred Review “The illustrations quilted by Taylor display strong artistic use of color, texture, movement, stitching, and symbols. Each page has vibrant colors that grab readers at first glance. . . . Taylor effectively breathes life into the characters, even those muddled in the background, by showing their humanity in each page.” -- School Library Journal“Both lyrical and descriptive, Huldah’s voice conveys the joy that is found in freedom. . . . A great introduction to the federal holiday.” -- The Horn Book“Taylor aptly depicts this story through colorful woven fabrics and folk art-style, quilted scenes.” -- Booklist“[A] moving debut. . . . It’s a discussion-starting, personal-feeling portrait of a communal celebration.” -- Publishers Weekly“The art in this work from quilter Taylor is stunning. The craftsmanship and attention to detail are breathtaking. . . . Visually dazzling. . . .” -- Kirkus Reviews [H] Neal Porter Books / January 03, 2023 0.39" H x 10.24" L x 9.92" W (0.92 lbs) 40 pages

A Flag for Juneteenth /// Kim Taylor

One of the Gardin women must navigate a season rich with unexpected challenges in the follow-up to The Gardins of Edin, a heartwarming story about love, forgiveness, new beginnings, and what it takes to get there.Martha Gardin is a mess, and no one knows this better than the women in her family. Good-hearted but often misguided by distrust and insecurity, Martha is known for stirring up drama. That’s why Ruth, Naomi, and Mary are pleasantly surprised when Martha mellows out after she begins dating one of the most eligible bachelors in town. Handsome, well-connected Oji Greenwald is everything Martha hoped to find in a man, and it’s only a matter of time before he pops the question. Rarely caught off guard, Martha is accustomed to getting her way. But when it appears she’s finally about to have the life she’s always wanted, a crisis in Oji’s family brings out Martha’s tendency to try to save the day her way, and the divide deepens between her and Oji’s already indifferent mother, Eve. Confronted with these unforeseen challenges to her plans, Martha finds herself on a journey that forces her to fully acknowledge her previous mistakes and reconcile her past. But will it be enough to deliver her the future—and the love—her heart desires? BIO Rosey Lee is the author of The Gardins of Edin. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and grew up on the Westbank of New Orleans, Louisiana. REVIEWS “If you’re craving a heartfelt, character-driven story about love, legacy, healing, and what it means to truly show up for your people (and yourself), don’t sleep on this series.” -- Emely Rumble, LCSW, bibliotherapist and author of Bibliotherapy in The Bronx [P] Prh Christian Publishing / May 13, 2025 0.9" H x 8.2" L x 5.4" W (0.6 lbs) 304 pages

A Gardin Wedding: A Gardin of Edin Novel /// Rosey Lee

﻿A Good Day to Bake is full of 70 sweet and savory baking recipes for any day of the week, led by flavor. Going through the ritual of bringing out the measuring scales, pouring out flour, whipping up the eggs, stirring the batter and impatiently slicing up warm cake is a beautiful thing that deserves to be enjoyed all year round no matter the day, season or occasion. This is a cookbook that embraces simplicity, mindfulness and the therapeutic comforts of baking. The Great British Bake Off's 2016 contestant Benjamina writes so warmly about cakes and her recipes speak to a natural, seasonal and down-to-earth way of baking. Chapters include Herbs & Tea, Stone Fruit & Berries, Vegetables, Best of Beige, Spice Cupboard, and Chocolate. Because every day is a good day to bake. BIO Benjamina Ebuehi writes recipes, styles and creates content for media, such as BBC Good Food, Waitrose Weekend and Guardian Feast as well as brands such as Sainsbury's, McVities, Lindt, Lyles Golden Syrup, Anthropologie, Baileys and Schwartz spices. Benjamina is an ambassador for the incredible social enterprise Luminary Bakery, and co-founded, with her sister Bonita, The Sister Table (www.thesistertable.com), hosting pop-up brunches and supper clubs for women across London. Her food blog Carrot and Crumb (www.carrotandcrumb.com) was a finalist in the 2019 Saveur Blog Awards. A Good Day to Bake is her second cookbook. [H] Quadrille Publishing / March 01, 2022 0.9" H x 9.9" L x 7.5" W (1.85 lbs) 192 pages

﻿<meta charset="UTF-8">A Good Day to Bake is full of 70 sweet and savory baking recipes for any day of the week, led by flavor. 
Going through the ritual of bringing out the measuring scales, pouring out flour, whipping up the eggs, stirring the batter and impatiently slicing up warm cake is a beautiful thing that deserves to be enjoyed all year round no matter the day, season or occasion. 
This is a cookbook that embraces simplicity, mindfulness and the therapeutic comforts of baking. The Great British Bake Off's 2016 contestant Benjamina writes so warmly about cakes and her recipes speak to a natural, seasonal and down-to-earth way of baking. Chapters include Herbs &amp; Tea, Stone Fruit &amp; Berries, Vegetables, Best of Beige, Spice Cupboard, and Chocolate. 
Because every day is a good day to bake.
BIO
Benjamina Ebuehi writes recipes, styles and creates content for media, such as BBC Good Food, Waitrose Weekend and Guardian Feast as well as brands such as Sainsbury's, McVities, Lindt, Lyles Golden Syrup, Anthropologie, Baileys and Schwartz spices.
Benjamina is an ambassador for the incredible social enterprise Luminary Bakery, and co-founded, with her sister Bonita, The Sister Table (www.thesistertable.com), hosting pop-up brunches and supper clubs for women across London. Her food blog Carrot and Crumb (www.carrotandcrumb.com) was a finalist in the 2019 Saveur Blog Awards.
A Good Day to Bake is her second cookbook.
[H] Quadrille Publishing  /  March 01, 2022
0.9" H x 9.9" L x 7.5" W (1.85 lbs) 192 pages

A Good Day to Bake: Simple Baking Recipes for Every Mood /// Benjamina Ebuehi

“A compelling story of how the transformative events of history weigh on individual lives and relationships.” - Barack ObamaThe Nobel Prize–nominated Kenyan writer’s best-known novel, featuring an introduction by Nobel Prize winner Abdulrazak GurnahSet in the wake of the Mau Mau rebellion and on the cusp of Kenya's independence from Britain, A Grain of Wheat follows a group of villagers whose lives have been transformed by the 1952–1960 Emergency. At the center of it all is the reticent Mugo, the village's chosen hero and a man haunted by a terrible secret. As we learn of the villagers' tangled histories in a narrative interwoven with myth and peppered with allusions to real-life leaders, including Jomo Kenyatta, a masterly story unfolds in which compromises are forced, friendships are betrayed, and loves are tested. BIO Ngugi wa Thiong'o is an award-winning novelist, playwright, and essayist from Kenya whose novels have been translated into more than thirty languages. He lives in Irvine, California, where he is Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Irvine. REVIEWS “One of the greatest writers of our time.” -- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, The Guardian“His novels . . . have been deservedly canonized by the iconic [Penguin Classics] series.” --The Wall Street Journal [P] Penguin Group / June 05, 2012 0.8" H x 7.6" L x 5.1" W (0.45 lbs) 272 pages

A Grain of Wheat /// Ngugi Wa Thiong'o, introduction by Abdulrazak Gurnah, edited by Chinua Achebe

The New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice • Longlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction​ • A sweeping and beautifully rendered exploration of home and yearning, following the fracturing of a family upon the demise of its patriarch“Each character here is richly and deeply drawn…This is a novel that encourages us to stand in life’s burning doorways, and to think long before we walk away or walk through.”—New York TimesIn the early hours of June 14, 2017, the world watches as flames leap up the sides of a residential high-rise in West London, consuming Grenfell Tower and many of the lives within it. Across town, an earlier spark has caught fire. A cigarette left burning in an ashtray. A table strewn with post-it reminders and old newspapers. And one Cornelius Winston Pitt—estranged husband, complicated dad, and Pitt family patriarch—takes his final breaths alone.These twin tragedies open Diana Evans’s A House for Alice, an aching portrait of a family of women shaken by loss and searching for closure. At the novel’s center is Alice herself, the Pitt matriarch who, after fifty years in England, now longs to live out her final years in her homeland of Nigeria. Her three daughters are torn on the issue of whether she stays or goes, and while youngest sibling Melissa also grapples with the embers of her own failed relationship, the Pitt family’s foundational pillars—of trust, love, and cultural identity—begin to crack.Intimately drawn and set against a fraught political backdrop, yet equally full of hope, humor, and humanity, A House for Alice traces the scars of grief and betrayal across generations and uncovers the secrets we keep from those closest to us. BIO Diana Evans is the author of the novels 26a, The Wonder and Ordinary People. She has received nominations for the Whitbread First Novel, the Guardian First Book and the Commonwealth Best First Book awards and was the inaugural winner of the Orange Award for New Writers. Ordinary People won the 2019 South Bank Sky Arts Award for Literature and was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the Rathbones Folio Prize and the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction, and also received a nomination for the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction. Her journalism appears in among others Time magazine, the Guardian, Vogue, and the Financial Times. She lives in London. REVIEWS A Most Anticipated Book: The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Good Morning America •“Each character here is richly and deeply drawn, with histories and personalities so fully realized that it’s a pleasure to get to know them…This is a novel that encourages us to stand in life’s burning doorways, and to think long before we walk away or walk through.” -- New York Times“A beautiful, deep exploration of home and fractured families” -- Good Morning America“Twin domestic tragedies entwine in this richly loving and fraught novel. The 2017 Grenfell Towers fire in London looms as Diana Evans juxtaposes this disaster with the death of a patriarch whose loss complicates the actions of his wife, Alice, who longs to return at last to her homeland, Nigeria.” -- Boston Globe“The shifting sands of relationships, time, and place frame a vibrant new novel from an award-winning British writer.Broad in range, vivid in detail, alight often with eloquent language, Evans’ fourth novel, set among a Black community in London, takes time to reveal itself. Sprawling but always engaging, the novel’s cast is filled with rounded individuals, their problems and options as Black, middle-class Londoners showcased at work and play and contemplation, with humor and empathy.” -- Kirkus Review (starred review) “All is conjured with Evans’s keen eye for human behavior… Her prose is distinguished by its lively, lyrical energy, by its seemingly effortless expansiveness, and by masterful turns of phrase” -- Guardian “A warm but devastating narrative, dealing with the fallout of the Grenfell tragedy… Like any Evans novel, it is unputdownable” -- Harper’s Bazaar “Evans…has an exquisite turn of phrase…The people on the page, and the problems they face, are real and raw" -- Times UK [H] Pantheon Books / September 12, 2023 1.6" H x 9.3" L x 6.1" W (1.35 lbs) 352 pages

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The New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice • Longlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction​ • A sweeping and beautifully rendered exploration of home and yearning, following the fracturing of a family upon the demise of its patriarch “Each character here is richly and deeply drawn…This is a novel that encourages us to stand in life’s burning doorways, and to think long before we walk away or walk through.” —New York Times In the early hours of June 14, 2017, the world watches as flames leap up the sides of a residential high-rise in West London, consuming Grenfell Tower and many of the lives within it. Across town, an earlier spark has caught fire. A cigarette left burning in an ashtray. A table strewn with post-it reminders and old newspapers. And one Cornelius Winston Pitt—estranged husband, complicated dad, and Pitt family patriarch—takes his final breaths alone. These twin tragedies open Diana Evans’s A House for Alice, an aching portrait of a family of women shaken by loss and searching for closure. At the novel’s center is Alice herself, the Pitt matriarch who, after fifty years in England, now longs to live out her final years in her homeland of Nigeria. Her three daughters are torn on the issue of whether she stays or goes, and while youngest sibling Melissa also grapples with the embers of her own failed relationship, the Pitt family’s foundational pillars—of trust, love, and cultural identity—begin to crack. Intimately drawn and set against a fraught political backdrop, yet equally full of hope, humor, and humanity, A House for Alice traces the scars of grief and betrayal across generations and uncovers the secrets we keep from those closest to us.
BIO
<meta charset="utf-8">Diana Evans is the author of the novels 26a, The Wonder and Ordinary People. She has received nominations for the Whitbread First Novel, the Guardian First Book and the Commonwealth Best First Book awards and was the inaugural winner of the Orange Award for New Writers. Ordinary People won the 2019 South Bank Sky Arts Award for Literature and was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the Rathbones Folio Prize and the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction, and also received a nomination for the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction. Her journalism appears in among others Time magazine, the Guardian, Vogue, and the Financial Times. She lives in London.
REVIEWS
<meta charset="utf-8">A Most Anticipated Book: The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Good Morning America • “Each character here is richly and deeply drawn, with histories and personalities so fully realized that it’s a pleasure to get to know them…This is a novel that encourages us to stand in life’s burning doorways, and to think long before we walk away or walk through.” -- New York Times “A beautiful, deep exploration of home and fractured families” -- Good Morning America “Twin domestic tragedies entwine in this richly loving and fraught novel. The 2017 Grenfell Towers fire in London looms as Diana Evans juxtaposes this disaster with the death of a patriarch whose loss complicates the actions of his wife, Alice, who longs to return at last to her homeland, Nigeria.” -- Boston Globe “The shifting sands of relationships, time, and place frame a vibrant new novel from an award-winning British writer. Broad in range, vivid in detail, alight often with eloquent language, Evans’ fourth novel, set among a Black community in London, takes time to reveal itself. Sprawling but always engaging, the novel’s cast is filled with rounded individuals, their problems and options as Black, middle-class Londoners showcased at work and play and contemplation, with humor and empathy.” -- Kirkus Review (starred review)   “All is conjured with Evans’s keen eye for human behavior… Her prose is distinguished by its lively, lyrical energy, by its seemingly effortless expansiveness, and by masterful turns of phrase” -- Guardian   “A warm but devastating narrative, dealing with the fallout of the Grenfell tragedy… Like any Evans novel, it is unputdownable” -- Harper’s Bazaar   “Evans…has an exquisite turn of phrase…The people on the page, and the problems they face, are real and raw" -- Times UK
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A House for Alice /// Diana Evans

Our history echoes with events which, over time, have become hidden, yet are important to all of us. Juneteenth is a celebration which recognizes the end of the enslavement of Black people in America. This book opens a door to understanding our history and celebrating our future—together.Meet A Kids Co., a new kind of media company with a collection of beautifully designed books that kickstart challenging, empowering, and important conversations for kids and their grownups. Learn more about us at akidsco.com. BIO Garrison Hayes (he/him) is a filmmaker, creator, and entrepreneur who amplifies stories which change the world. He believes the truth of the past helps us better understand the present and gives us the foundation to build a better tomorrow. [H] DK Publishing / May 21, 2024 0.5" H x 10.5" L x 8.3" W (0.9 lbs) 64 pages For ages 6 to 9

A Kids Book About Juneteenth /// Garrison Hayes

“Steady-handed and gut-punching. I’m in awe.”—NoViolet Bulawayo An Oprah Daily Most Anticipated Book of 2024 In ten vivid, evocative stories set in contemporary Nigeria, Uche Okonkwo’s extraordinary debut asks: why are the people and places we hold closest so often the ones that drive us to madness? A teenage girl from a poor family is dazzled by her rich, vivacious friend, but as the friend’s behavior grows unstable and dangerous, she must decide whether to cover for her or risk telling the truth to get her the help she needs. A young woman and her mother bask in the envy of their neighbors when the woman receives an offer of marriage from the family of a doctor living in Belgium—though when the offer fails to materialize, that envy threatens to turn vicious, pitting them both against their community. And a lonely daughter finds herself wandering a village in eastern Nigeria in an ill-fated quest, struggling to come to terms with her mother’s mental illness. Across ten stories, Uche Okonkwo’s A Kind of Madness unravels the tensions between mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, best friends, siblings, and more, marking the arrival of an extraordinary new talent in fiction. BIO Uche Okonkwo’s stories have been published in A Public Space, One Story, the Kenyon Review, Ploughshares, The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2019, and Lagos Noir, among others. A former Bernard O’Keefe Scholar at Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference and resident at Art Omi, she is a recipient of the George Bennett Fellowship at Phillips Exeter Academy, a Steinbeck Fellowship, and an Elizabeth George Foundation grant. Okonkwo grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, and is currently pursuing a creative writing PhD at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln REVIEWS "This debut short-story collection features 10 stories set in present-day Nigeria, all concerned with madness—both the literal madness of mental illness as well as the unruliness of outsize emotions like envy, shame, and desire." -- Oprah Daily, A Most Anticipated Book of 2024"Okonkwo has a Chekhovian eye for the tangle of internal motivations and assumptions that steer her characters. . . .Readers will be eager for more of Okonkwo’s artful writing." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review"Surprising, illuminating, and deeply human." -- Booklist"Vivid. . . . In addition to striking a perfect balance between humor and heartbreak, A Kind of Madness shows incredible wiseness on the complexity and at times maddening nature of loving our family, our friends, and our home.” -- Chicago Review of Books, A Best Book of April"Amazingly written characters in unforgettable settings. Okonkwo’s writing is transformative". -- Debutiful, A Best Book of April [P] Tin House Books / April 16, 2024 0.64" H x 8.52" L x 5.57" W (0.53 lbs) 224 pages

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“Steady-handed and gut-punching. I’m in awe.”—NoViolet Bulawayo
An Oprah Daily Most Anticipated Book of 2024
In ten vivid, evocative stories set in contemporary Nigeria, Uche Okonkwo’s extraordinary debut asks: why are the people and places we hold closest so often the ones that drive us to madness?
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A teenage girl from a poor family is dazzled by her rich, vivacious friend, but as the friend’s behavior grows unstable and dangerous, she must decide whether to cover for her or risk telling the truth to get her the help she needs. A young woman and her mother bask in the envy of their neighbors when the woman receives an offer of marriage from the family of a doctor living in Belgium—though when the offer fails to materialize, that envy threatens to turn vicious, pitting them both against their community. And a lonely daughter finds herself wandering a village in eastern Nigeria in an ill-fated quest, struggling to come to terms with her mother’s mental illness.
Across ten stories, Uche Okonkwo’s A Kind of Madness unravels the tensions between mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, best friends, siblings, and more, marking the arrival of an extraordinary new talent in fiction.
BIO
Uche Okonkwo’s stories have been published in A Public Space, One Story, the Kenyon Review, Ploughshares, The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2019, and Lagos Noir, among others. A former Bernard O’Keefe Scholar at Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference and resident at Art Omi, she is a recipient of the George Bennett Fellowship at Phillips Exeter Academy, a Steinbeck Fellowship, and an Elizabeth George Foundation grant. Okonkwo grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, and is currently pursuing a creative writing PhD at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
REVIEWS
"This debut short-story collection features 10 stories set in present-day Nigeria, all concerned with madness—both the literal madness of mental illness as well as the unruliness of outsize emotions like envy, shame, and desire." -- Oprah Daily, A Most Anticipated Book of 2024 "Okonkwo has a Chekhovian eye for the tangle of internal motivations and assumptions that steer her characters. . . .Readers will be eager for more of Okonkwo’s artful writing." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review "Surprising, illuminating, and deeply human." -- Booklist "Vivid. . . . In addition to striking a perfect balance between humor and heartbreak, A Kind of Madness shows incredible wiseness on the complexity and at times maddening nature of loving our family, our friends, and our home.” -- Chicago Review of Books, A Best Book of April "Amazingly written characters in unforgettable settings. Okonkwo’s writing is transformative". -- Debutiful, A Best Book of April
[P]  Tin House Books  /  April 16, 2024
0.64" H x 8.52" L x 5.57" W (0.53 lbs) 224 pages

A Kind of Madness: Stories /// Uche Okonkwo

-- SIGNED COPIES - From the award-winning author of High on the Hog—inspiration for the “energetic, emotional, and deeply nuanced” (The New York Times) Netflix series of the same name—comes a new and updated edition of A Kwanzaa Keepsake, another important exploration of African American culture, food, and family, featuring recipes and stories to help this generation create unique holiday traditions.Now with a new introduction by award-winning writer and iconic culinary historian Jessica B. Harris, a foreword by chef and television personality Carla Hall, revised recipes and stories, and a fresh new package, A Kwanzaa Keepsake offers proverbs, ceremonies, family projects, inspirational biographies, blessings, and of course, wonderful recipes. Structured around the seven days of Kwanzaa and the virtues each day represents, Harris shares a themed feast for each night, designed to reflect the principle of the day. Some of the menus include:- Umoja (Unity), featuring dishes of multinational origin such as Seasoned Olives, Mechoui-Style Leg of Lamb with cumin, mint, and chili, and a classic Caribbean rum punch, and reminds readers of the union of all peoples of African descent. - Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), composed of dishes from the African continent including Sweet Potato Fritters, Grilled Pepper Salad, and Piment Aimee, a hot sauce from one of the author’s friends. - Kuumba (Creativity) is a healing supper and communal meal that opens the gates of remembrance through food. The repast is centered around a heritage recipe and includes others for Pickled Black-Eyed Peas, a fish dish from the the Ivory Coast, Spicy Cranberry Chutney, and a killer pecan pie with molasses whipped cream.Interspersed throughout the book are spaces to record family memories, sayings, and recipes. Rich in culinary history, and a source of inspiration for treasuring and recording family traditions both old and new, A Kwanzaa Keepsake is a book to cherish, and one that families will turn to again and again. BIO Dr. Jessica B. Harris holds a PhD from NYU and taught English at Queens College for more than thirty years. She lectures internationally. She is the author of High on the Hog, which inspired the hit 2021 Netflix show of the same name. She is also the author of a memoir, My Soul Looks Back, as well as twelve cookbooks. Her articles have appeared in Vogue, Food & Wine, Essence, and The New Yorker, among other publications. She has made numerous television and radio appearances and has been profiled in The New York Times. Considered one of the preeminent scholars of the food of the African Diaspora, Harris has been inducted into the James Beard Who’s Who in Food and Beverage in America, she received the James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020, and an Augie Award from the Culinary Institute of America in 2022. She also received an honorary doctorate from Johnson & Wales University and recently helped the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture to conceptualize its cafeteria. [H] Scribner Book Company / November 05, 2024 0.64" H x 9.13" L x 7.38" W (0.53 lbs) 256 pages

A Kwanzaa Keepsake and Cookbook: Celebrating the Holiday with Family, Community, and Tradition /// Dr. Jessica B. Harris

In this lyrical picture book, world-renowned poet, New York Times bestselling author, and Coretta Scott King Honor winner Nikki Giovanni and fine artist Erin Robinson craft an ode to the magic of a library as a place not only for knowledge but also for imagination, exploration, and escape. In what other place can a child "sail their dreams" and "surf the rainbow" without ever leaving the room? This ode to libraries is a celebration for everyone who loves stories, from seasoned readers to those just learning to love words, and it will have kids and parents alike imagining where their library can take them. This inspiring read-aloud includes stunning illustrations and a note from Nikki Giovanni about the importance of libraries in her own childhood. BIO Nikki Giovanni, poet, activist, mother, and professor, is a seven-time NAACP Image Award winner and the first recipient of the Rosa Parks Woman of Courage Award, and holds the Langston Hughes Medal for Outstanding Poetry, among many other honors. The author of twenty-eight books and a Grammy nominee for The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection, she is the University Distinguished Professor of English at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. Erin Robinson is a Fashion Designer by trade but also a trained fine artist from Parsons School of Design and the Corcoran School of Art. Her daydreamy, magical imagination is inspired by travel, color, texture, the feminine shape and the many shades and coifs of Brooklyn. She currently splits her time between New York City and Washington, D.C. Find her at brooklyndolly.com and on Instagram @brooklyndolly. REVIEWS “Powerful.... Playful and inspiring. Every lover of books, young or old, will see themselves in this story.” -- Booklist (starred review) “Vibrant, carefully composed digital illustrations, with bright colors that invite readers in.... A lushly illustrated homage to librarians.” -- Kirkus Reviews “In this picture-book celebration of libraries and reading, poet Giovanni writes about the Carnegie Library, which she regularly visited as a child. Robinson’s digital art resembles vibrant collages.” -- Horn Book Magazine “Poetic text and evocative, textured illustrations work in concert to show how books and libraries enable people to imagine other lives—including other versions of their own selves.... A must-have.” -- School Library Journal [H] Versify / September 27, 2022 0.3" H x 11.1" L x 9.0" W (0.95 lbs) 32 pages

A Library /// Nikki Giovanni, illustrations by Erin K. Robinson

Tyree Daye’s a little bump in the earth is an act of invention and remembrance. Through sprawling poems, the town of Youngsville, North Carolina, where Daye’s family has lived for the last 200 years, is reclaimed as the “Ritual House.” Here, “every cousin aunt uncle ghost” is welcome. Daye invokes real and imagined people, the ancestral dead, land, snakes, and chickens, to create a black town on a hill. Including dreams, letters, revised rental agreements, and “a little museum in the herein-&-after,” where collaged images appear beside documents from Daye’s ancestors—census records, marriage licenses, and WWII Draft Registration cards—the collection asks if the past can be a portal to the future, the present a catalyst for the past. a little bump in the earth explores what it means to love someone, someplace, even as it changes, dies right in front of your eyes. Poem by poem, Daye is honoring the people of Youngsville and “bringing back the dead.” BIO Tyree Daye is a poet from Youngsville, North Carolina. He is the author of two poetry collections, including River Hymns, the 2017 APR/Honickman First Book Prize winner. Daye is a 2017 Ruth Lilly Finalist and Cave Canem fellow. Daye’s work has been published in Prairie Schooner, The New York Times, and Nashville Review. Daye won the 2019 Palm Beach Poetry Festival Langston Hughes Fellowship, 2019 Diana and Simon Raab Writer-In-Residence at UC Santa Barbara and is a 2019 Kate Tufts Finalist. Daye most recently was awarded a 2019 Whiting Award and a 2019 Ragin Rubin Award winner. [P] Copper Canyon Press / April 02, 2024 0.5" H x 8.9" L x 6.9" W (0.45 lbs) 104 pages

a little bump in the earth /// Tyree Daye

-- This title will ship on or after August 19, 2025 -- Impressive small-batch bakes, which are a breeze to make.A Little of What You Fancy showcases creative baking recipes that are tailored for smaller portions. From marbled cookies to swiss roll cake to crème brûlée Basque cheesecake, there are a variety of cakes, bakes and dessert recipes that only require minimal effort. Made using basic equipment and accessible ingredients, Dee Omole’s elegant style combines diverse flavours in intriguing ways. These treats are all easy enough for a mid-week treat for one, but special enough to serve as a dinner party treat. With easy-to-follow instructions, A Little of What You Fancy is full of achievable and indulgent bakes to satisfy your cravings – and with little to no waste (or leftovers!). There are also decorating tips and tricks to help you elevate your baked creations to new heights, making them the perfect handmade edible gift for loved ones. If you’re after homemade bakes without days and days of leftovers, A Little of What You Fancy is the book for you. BIO Dee Omole is a pastry chef and founder of confectionery studio Dee's Basement based in London, known for bringing a modern, creative flair to classic desserts. She's worked with a plethora of brands such as Tastemade and Pinterest showcasing her artistic approach to creating edible art. [H] Quadrille Publishing / August 19, 2025

-- This title will ship on or after August 19, 2025 --
Impressive small-batch bakes, which are a breeze to make. A Little of What You Fancy showcases creative baking recipes that are tailored for smaller portions. From marbled cookies to swiss roll cake to crème brûlée Basque cheesecake, there are a variety of cakes, bakes and dessert recipes that only require minimal effort.   Made using basic equipment and accessible ingredients, Dee Omole’s elegant style combines diverse flavours in intriguing ways. These treats are all easy enough for a mid-week treat for one, but special enough to serve as a dinner party treat.   With easy-to-follow instructions, A Little of What You Fancy is full of achievable and indulgent bakes to satisfy your cravings – and with little to no waste (or leftovers!). There are also decorating tips and tricks to help you elevate your baked creations to new heights, making them the perfect handmade edible gift for loved ones.   If you’re after homemade bakes without days and days of leftovers, A Little of What You Fancy is the book for you.
BIO
<meta charset="utf-8">Dee Omole is a pastry chef and founder of confectionery studio Dee's Basement based in London, known for bringing a modern, creative flair to classic desserts. She's worked with a plethora of brands such as Tastemade and Pinterest showcasing her artistic approach to creating edible art.
[H]  Quadrille Publishing  /  August 19, 2025

A Little of What You Fancy: Irresistible Small-Batch Bakes /// Dee Omole /// pre

Luster meets The Idiot in this riveting debut novel about a volatile friendship between two outsiders who escape their bleak childhoods and enter the glamorous early ’90s art world in New York City, where only one of them can make it.Ruth, an only child of recent immigrants to New England, lives in an emotionally cold home and attends the local Catholic girl’s school on a scholarship. Maria, a beautiful orphan whose Panamanian mother dies by suicide and is taken care of by an ill, unloving aunt, is one of the only other students attending the school on a scholarship. Ruth is drawn forcefully into Maria’s orbit, and they fall into an easy, yet intense, friendship. Her devotion to her charming and bright new friend opens up her previously sheltered world. While Maria, charismatic and aware of her ability to influence others, eases into her full self, embracing her sexuality and her desire to be an artist, Ruth is mostly content to follow her around: to college and then into the early-nineties art world of New York City. There, ambition and competition threaten to rupture their friendship, while strong and unspoken forces pull them together over the years. Whereas Maria finds early success in New York City as an artist, Ruth stumbles along the fringes of the art world, pulled toward a quieter life of work and marriage. As their lives converge and diverge, they meet in one final and fateful confrontation. Ruth and Maria’s decades-long friendship interrogates the nature of intimacy, desire, class and time. What does it mean to be an artist and to be true to oneself? What does it mean to give up on an obsession? Marking the arrival of a sensational new literary talent, Lonely Crowds challenges us to reckon honestly with our own ambitions and the lives we hope to lead. BIO Stephanie Wambugu was born in Mombasa, Kenya in 1998 and grew up in Rhode Island. She lives and works in New York, where she received her MFA from Columbia University. She is an editor of Joyland Magazine. Lonely Crowds is her first novel. REVIEWS "Masterful, thoughtful...In short, blunt sentences, the book devastatingly portrays the realities of money, race, sexuality, ambition — along with the gossipy competitiveness of any insular scene — that both Ruth and Maria confront in New York...one of the most emotionally and intellectually rich debuts I can remember reading in this or any year." -- Boston Globe "Lonely Crowds is an artist’s novel of uncommon elegance—a singular portrait of love and guilt and envy, self-discovery and self-deception, struck through with blazing need. Stephanie Wambugu writes with a clerestoried brilliance that throws striking light and strange shadows across her unforgettable narrator Ruth’s traversals of youth, schooling, and becoming. A sensation." -- Alexandra Tanner, author of Worry "Stephanie Wambugu has written a coming-of-age friendship novel for the ages. Her prose and vision are sharp and she writes about art and ambition with a rare combination of frankness and grace." -- Gary Shteyngart, author of Our Country Friends [H] Little Brown and Company / July 29, 2025 1.2" H x 9.3" L x 6.1" W (1.1 lbs) 304 pages

Lonely Crowds: A Novel /// Stephanie Wambugu

BookRiot’s Best New Nonfiction | Ms. Magazine’s most Anticipated Feminist Book A crucial telling of U.S. history centering the Black women whose magic gave rise to the rich tapestry of American culture we see today—from Vicks VapoRub and Aunt Jemima’s pancake mix, to the magic of Disney’s The Little Mermaid (2023), and the all-American blue jean. Emerging first on plantations in the American South, enslaved conjure women used their magic to treat illnesses. These women combined their ancestral spiritual beliefs from West Africa with local herbal rituals and therapeutic remedies to create conjure, forging a secret well of health and power hidden to their oppressors and many of the modern-day staples we still enjoy. In The Conjuring of America, Black feminist philosopher Lindsey Stewart exposes this vital contour of American history. In the face of slavery, Negro Mammies fashioned a legacy of magic that begat herbal experts, fearsome water bearers, and powerful mojos—roles and traditions that for centuries have been passed down to respond to Black struggles in real time. And when Jim Crow was born, Granny Midwives and textile weavers leveled their techniques to protect our civil and reproductive rights, while Candy Ladies fed a generation of freedom crusaders.Sourcing firsthand accounts the of enslaved, dispatches from the lore of Oshun, and the wisdom of beloved Black women writers, Stewart proves indisputably that conjure informs our lives in ways remarkable and ordinary. Above all, The Conjuring of America is a love letter to the magic Black women used to sow messages of rebellion, freedom, and hope. BIO Lindsey Stewart is a Black feminist philosopher and an Associate Professor of philosophy at the University of Memphis. She is the author of The Politics of Black Joy. Her work has been featured in Blavity, Signs, Hypatia, and the British Journal for the History of Philosophy, and sheholds a 2021 Michael Beaney Prize. She lives in Memphis, Tennessee. REVIEWS "A celebration of Black magic. . .a brisk, spirited narrative. . [and] an entertaining, informative contribution to Black history.” -- Kirkus (Starred Review) "The power of Black Girl Magic truly comes to life in Stewart's analysis of Black women's contributions American culture." -- Ebony "In a culture where Black women are often portrayed as unqualified, uninspiring, and un-American, The Conjuring of America makes clear that their innovations are woven into the very fabric of American identity, and that Black women continue to shape who we are and how we live." -- BookPage [H] Legacy Lit / July 29, 2025 1.6" H x 9.1" L x 6.2" W (1.35 lbs) 400 pages

BookRiot’s Best New Nonfiction | Ms. Magazine’s most Anticipated Feminist Book  A crucial telling of U.S. history centering the Black women whose magic gave rise to the rich tapestry of American culture we see today—from Vicks VapoRub and Aunt Jemima’s pancake mix, to the magic of Disney’s The Little Mermaid (2023), and the all-American blue jean.
Emerging first on plantations in the American South, enslaved conjure women used their magic to treat illnesses. These women combined their ancestral spiritual beliefs from West Africa with local herbal rituals and therapeutic remedies to create conjure, forging a secret well of health and power hidden to their oppressors and many of the modern-day staples we still enjoy.  In The Conjuring of America, Black feminist philosopher Lindsey Stewart exposes this vital contour of American history. In the face of slavery, Negro Mammies fashioned a legacy of magic that begat herbal experts, fearsome water bearers, and powerful mojos—roles and traditions that for centuries have been passed down to respond to Black struggles in real time. And when Jim Crow was born, Granny Midwives and textile weavers leveled their techniques to protect our civil and reproductive rights, while Candy Ladies fed a generation of freedom crusaders. Sourcing firsthand accounts the of enslaved, dispatches from the lore of Oshun, and the wisdom of beloved Black women writers, Stewart proves indisputably that conjure informs our lives in ways remarkable and ordinary. Above all, The Conjuring of America is a love letter to the magic Black women used to sow messages of rebellion, freedom, and hope.
BIO
<meta charset="utf-8">Lindsey Stewart is a Black feminist philosopher and an Associate Professor of philosophy at the University of Memphis. She is the author of The Politics of Black Joy. Her work has been featured in Blavity, Signs, Hypatia, and the British Journal for the History of Philosophy, and sheholds a 2021 Michael Beaney Prize. She lives in Memphis, Tennessee.
REVIEWS
"A celebration of Black magic. . .a brisk, spirited narrative. . [and] an entertaining, informative contribution to Black history.” -- Kirkus (Starred Review)
"The power of Black Girl Magic truly comes to life in Stewart's analysis of Black women's contributions American culture." -- Ebony
"In a culture where Black women are often portrayed as unqualified, uninspiring, and un-American, The Conjuring of America makes clear that their innovations are woven into the very fabric of American identity, and that Black women continue to shape who we are and how we live." -- BookPage
[H]  Legacy Lit  /  July 29, 2025
<meta charset="utf-8"> 1.6" H x 9.1" L x 6.2" W (1.35 lbs) 400 pages

The Conjuring of America: Mojos, Mermaids, Medicine, and 400 Years of Black Women's Magic /// Lindsey Stewart /// new

A powerful read redefining the meaning of genius while illuminating the ways in which Black Americans have found various ways to thrive despite insurmountable obstacles.Black genius sits at the heart of the American story. In his probing essay collection, Black Genius, cultural critic Tre Johnson examines how Black American culture has, against all odds, been the lifeblood of American ingenuity. At times using his own personal and professional stories, Johnson surveys Black cities, communities, and schools with an ever-watchful eye of what transpires around Black mobility. With a passion for complex storytelling and pulling from both pop culture and American history, Johnson weaves past and present making his case for the genius of innovation. As he examined his findings, Johnson couldn’t help but wonder about the brilliance of the every day. Specifically, the creativity of the 90’s graffiti-style airbrush tee, his aunties packed weekend bus trips to Atlantic city, and the razor-tongued, socially-sharp, profanity-laced monologues of comedian Dick Gregory. Again and again, he asks us to ponder—are these not obvious examples of genius? Chatty yet profound, Black Genius subverts expectations from the very first page with a blend of reportage, historical data, and pop culture as Johnson dives into his own family history seeking big answers to complex questions. Johnson’s signature wit and curiosity turns history into an amusing sequence of events. BIO Tre Johnson was born in Trenton, NJ and now finds himself in Philadelphia, where he writes with a focus on race, culture and politics. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, Vox, The New York Times, Slate, Vanity Fair, The Grio, and other outlets. He has appeared to provide media commentary on CNN Tonight with Don Lemon; CBS Morning Show; PBS NewsHour, NPR’s Morning Edition, and other programs. In addition to writing, Tre is a career educator, working both inside and outside the classroom as a teacher and leader. REVIEWS “In this collection Tre Johnson emphatically and elegantly moves every conception I’ve ever had about the modes and movements of genius in Black folk. The book refuses to robotically crease its pants and cross its legs, opting instead to deploy the comic, tragic mundanely genius in wholly original ways. This is the book, sadly and thankfully, that these political times call for, and only a Black genius named Tre Johnson could pull it off with odd rancor, counterpunches and utter doses of Black smooth.” -- Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy: An American Memoir“Black Genius reads like a blerdy conversation you have at the cookout, and we have Tre Johnson’s own genius to thank for it. Johnson observes our singular genius, broadly defined, reveling in well-known as well as everyday Black folks’ creativity, resiliency, joy, ingenuity, intelligence, pain, and beauty. He celebrates our ability to make, remake, and move culture, history, and ultimately, ourselves. Timely and affirming, this book is a love letter to Black brilliance.” --Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies“Tre Johnson writes with a verve that honors and demonstrates the very genius he’s set out to explore. It’s an ambitious goalpost and he doesn’t just meet it, he races past it, he FloJos it, he Michael Jordans it, he Mae Jemisons it. This book uses wisdom, razor sharp insight, and actual laugh-out-loud humor to unravel the DNA of Black brilliance, Black innovation, and Black excellence. It’s never pandering, it’s innately American, and it’s, to use Johnson’s own words for us, ‘utterly amazing.'” -- R. Eric Thomas, national bestselling author of Here for It: Or How to Save Your Soul in America [H] Dutton / July 29, 2025 1.2" H x 7.1" L x 5.1" W (0.75 lbs) 320 pages

Black Genius: Essays on an American Legacy /// Tre Johnson /// new

From Agatha and Edgar Award nominated author Valerie Burns, influencer-turned-bakery-owner Maddy Montgomery has sold plenty of wedding cakes before, but before she turns one out for her and her fiancé’s wedding, she’ll have to solve a little case of murder first…Aunt Octavia would be so proud! Maddy has turned Baby Cakes Bakery—named for her 250-pound English Mastiff, Baby—into a runaway success, and she’s marrying the love of her life, veterinarian Michael Portman. #DreamWedding! Plus the timing couldn’t be better: the country’s biggest bridal expo has come to New Bison, Michigan, and Maddy has secured a spot for Baby Cakes to showcase their cakes. She’s also entered a contest for an all-expenses-paid wedding extravaganza offered by world-renowned wedding planner Serafina.Unfortunately, supremely nasty Serafina truly takes the cake—she makes the worst bridezilla seem like a shy flower girl. But there’s one thing the wedding planner didn’t plan on—being impaled by one of the skewers Baby Cakes uses on their tiered wedding cakes.While Maid of Honor Sheriff April Johnson rounds up suspects at the expo, Maddy and her aunt’s friends, the Baker Street Irregulars, and even Baby join forces to unveil a killer hiding in plain sight . . . before wedding bells start to chime. BIO Valerie Burns was born and raised in the Midwestern United States. She currently resides in the warmer region of the country with her two poodles, Kenzie and Chloe. Valerie is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Dog Writers of America, Crime Writers of Color, International Thriller Writers, and Sisters in Crime. [P] Kensington Cozies / July 29, 2025 0.8" H x 8.1" L x 5.5" W (0.6 lbs) 272 pages

Icing on the Murder (A Baker Street Mystery) /// Valerie Burns /// new

A warm and funny picture book about the popular West African dish, from Nigerian author Onyinye Iwu, that shows how things work out best when you do them together. Jollof is a a delicious, spicy rice, and vegetable dish originating in West Africa and now known and enjoyed world-wide. It’s the favorite food of best friends Kwame and Kamsi. But who makes the best Jollof? “My mom,” says Kwame. “No, my mom,” says Kamsi. The two boys have a great idea. “Let’s each make our own and see whose is really best!” Carefully they pick their ingredients. But Kwame likes playing tricks on Kamsi, and Kamsi likes playing tricks on Kwame. Kamsi secretly adds nettles to Kwame’s Jollof, and Kwame pops a caterpillar into Kamsi’s. Puddle water, fiery ants and old dry chewing gum follow. What a mess! They’ve both made the worst Jollofs ever. But in the kitchen their moms are sharing the preparation of a real Jollof rice dish, and call the two sad boys in to help. What a difference! “Alone we make good Jollof,” say the moms. “But together we make the best Jollof ever.” And the boys agree–it’s best to work together (but sometimes they still play tricks on each other). BIO Onyinye Iwu is of Nigerian parentage, was born in Italy, and moved to Britain when she was a teenager. A secondary school teacher, she has a degree in Architecture and a Master’s in Cultural Diaspora Ethnicity. She is the illustrator of Sala, Mountain Warrior, by Wakanyi Hoffman, and of the Too Small Tola books by Atinuke. She lives in London. [H] Crocodile Books / July 15, 2025 0.3“ H x 10.8” L x 9.4” W (0.85 lbs), 32 pages For ages 3 to 5

A warm and funny picture book about the popular West African dish, from Nigerian author Onyinye Iwu, that shows how things work out best when you do them together. 
Jollof is a a delicious, spicy rice, and vegetable dish originating in West Africa and now known and enjoyed world-wide. It’s the favorite food of best friends Kwame and Kamsi. But who makes the best Jollof? “My mom,” says Kwame. “No, my mom,” says Kamsi.
The two boys have a great idea. “Let’s each make our own and see whose is really best!” Carefully they pick their ingredients. But Kwame likes playing tricks on Kamsi, and Kamsi likes playing tricks on Kwame. Kamsi secretly adds nettles to Kwame’s Jollof, and Kwame pops a caterpillar into Kamsi’s. Puddle water, fiery ants and old dry chewing gum follow. What a mess! They’ve both made the worst Jollofs ever.
But in the kitchen their moms are sharing the preparation of a real Jollof rice dish, and call the two sad boys in to help. What a difference! “Alone we make good Jollof,” say the moms. “But together we make the best Jollof ever.” And the boys agree–it’s best to work together (but sometimes they still play tricks on each other).
BIO
<meta charset="UTF-8">Onyinye Iwu is of Nigerian parentage, was born in Italy, and moved to Britain when she was a teenager. A secondary school teacher, she has a degree in Architecture and a Master’s in Cultural Diaspora Ethnicity. She is the illustrator of Sala, Mountain Warrior, by Wakanyi Hoffman, and of the Too Small Tola books by Atinuke. She lives in London.
[H]  Crocodile Books  /  July 15, 2025
0.3“ H x 10.8” L x 9.4” W (0.85 lbs), 32 pages
For ages 3 to 5

The Best Jollof Rice Ever! /// Onyinye Iwu /// new

-- This title will ship on or after its release date: March 03, 2026 -- A child discovers a secret ingredient for nurturing plants—and for helping ailing loved ones, too—in this tender story by a two-time New York Times best-selling author celebrating the power of hope.Everyone in Henry’s family loves plants and gardening. So why can he never get his little plant to grow, no matter how hard he tries? His mom has been able to grow anything since she was young, and even cultivated a whole orchard to help feed people who were hungry. Henry imagines his mother as a great tree, with branches wrapping around the whole community. “People and seeds have a lot in common,” his mom likes to say. “If you want them to grow strong, nourishment and sunlight aren’t enough—they also need hope.” When Henry’s mom becomes sick and it looks like she may not recover, this belief that she’s sown in her son becomes key to what happens next. Frederick Joseph, award-winning author of The Black Friend, offers a bighearted story about keeping hope alive in the face of grief—and a gentle allegory with an upbeat message about healing a fragile planet. BIO Frederick Joseph is a Yonkers, New York–raised two-time New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. His books include the poetry collection We Alive, Beloved; the nonfiction works Patriarchy Blues, The Black Friend, and Better Than We Found It, co-written with Porsche Joseph; the picture book Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: The Courage to Dream, illustrated by Nikkolas Smith; and the forthcoming YA novel This Thing of Ours. He was recognized with a 2021 International Literacy Association Young Adult Book Award, was named to the 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 list for marketing and advertising, and is an activist, philanthropist, and poet. Frederick Joseph was also honored with a 2023 Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Vanguard Award and the 2018 Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award, and he was selected for the 2018 Root 100, a list of the most influential African Americans. [H] Candlewick Press (MA) / March 03, 2026 1.25 lbs 32 pages

-- This title will ship on or after its release date: March 03, 2026 --
A child discovers a secret ingredient for nurturing plants—and for helping ailing loved ones, too—in this tender story by a two-time New York Times best-selling author celebrating the power of hope. Everyone in Henry’s family loves plants and gardening. So why can he never get his little plant to grow, no matter how hard he tries? His mom has been able to grow anything since she was young, and even cultivated a whole orchard to help feed people who were hungry. Henry imagines his mother as a great tree, with branches wrapping around the whole community. “People and seeds have a lot in common,” his mom likes to say. “If you want them to grow strong, nourishment and sunlight aren’t enough—they also need hope.” When Henry’s mom becomes sick and it looks like she may not recover, this belief that she’s sown in her son becomes key to what happens next. Frederick Joseph, award-winning author of The Black Friend, offers a bighearted story about keeping hope alive in the face of grief—and a gentle allegory with an upbeat message about healing a fragile planet.
BIO
Frederick Joseph is a Yonkers, New York–raised two-time New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. His books include the poetry collection We Alive, Beloved; the nonfiction works Patriarchy Blues, The Black Friend, and Better Than We Found It, co-written with Porsche Joseph; the picture book Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: The Courage to Dream, illustrated by Nikkolas Smith; and the forthcoming YA novel This Thing of Ours. He was recognized with a 2021 International Literacy Association Young Adult Book Award, was named to the 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 list for marketing and advertising, and is an activist, philanthropist, and poet. Frederick Joseph was also honored with a 2023 Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Vanguard Award and the 2018 Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award, and he was selected for the 2018 Root 100, a list of the most influential African Americans. 
[H]  Candlewick Press (MA)  /  March 03, 2026
<meta charset="utf-8">1.25 lbs 32 pages

Planting Hope /// Frederick Joseph, illustrations by Paul Kellam /// pre

Maximize the power of sweetness with 80 delicious, impressive and flavor-packed recipes.Ever wondered how to make a dish extra delicious? Look no further. In this book, Alexina Anatole, MasterChef finalist and author of Bitter, unlocks the secrets of sweetness. Journeying through 10 shades of sweetness, through ingredients like brown sugar, strawberries, peaches, honey, vanilla and bananas—Alexina reveals the most tempting results that can be achieved by balancing flavor, texture and temperature.Sweet is the perfect guide to using sweetness, with tips on tempering and complementing sweetness, so you can develop the skills to perfectly balance flavors to your liking and take your dishes to the next level. With twists on the classics and exciting new creations, these 80 recipes for desserts (and sweet-savory dishes) offer comfort while also delivering bold, exciting flavors. Whether you love desserts or believe that you’re "not a dessert person," this inspiring cookbook is guaranteed to delight.Discover recipes for all occasions and palates, such as: Banoffee Coffee Sundae White Chocolate Basque Cheesecake Mango, Coconut + Lime Celebration Cake Matcha Tiramisu Pear Sorbet with Frozen Roquefort Terrazzo Cookies Pear, Gorgonzola + Walnut Potato-Crusted Quiche Burned Peach + Burrata with Hot sauce Dressing Prune + Thyme Sausage Rolls Many of the recipes in Sweet are either vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free or gluten-free with options to suit all dietary preferences. BIO Alexina Anatole is a chef, TV presenter, and writer based in London. After reaching the final of UK MasterChef in 2021, she made a brave career change from the trading floor to the food world. Anatole also writes Small Wins, a Substack newsletter that enhances your cooking and your life in small, manageable ways. She has been featured on BBC One’s Saturday Kitchen, Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch, and BBC Radio 4’s The Food Programme. She also runs sold-out events, including Sel, London’s most intimate supper club, and Cocoa POP, a chocolate-themed pop-up with chocolatier Octavia Lamb. Alexina is of mixed heritage: the granddaughter of chicken farmers from Cambridgeshire, England, and Saint Lucian grandparents who arrived in London during the Windrush era. [H] Interlink Books / November 04, 2025

Sweet: The Secret to the Best Desserts /// Alexina Anatole, photography by Yuki Sugiura

-- This title will ship on or after its release date: September 02, 2025 -- Raise a glass to the joy of pickleball! This collection of 40+ delicious pickleball-inspired drink recipes is perfect for anyone who loves the game—and a well-crafted courtside cocktail. What could be more perfect than a gorgeous, sunny day filled with rounds of pickleball with friends and rounds of well-crafted cocktails to toast your game? Whether you’re packing refreshments along with your paddle or just seeking pickleball vibes at your next soiree, this cocktail book serves what you need.For picklers of all levels, here are drink recipes inspired by pickleball phrases and terminology, including: Cucumber-infused Backspin Spritz Tequila-tastic Midcourt Margarita The Pickletini: a classic with a briny twist! Tropical-themed Paddle Punch Fizzy and fabulous Aperol Approach Great for pregaming, post-gaming, or sipping courtside between rounds, these libations are easy to prepare and delightful to drink. With colorful photography and a fun design, this vibrant little volume also includes an overview of key cocktail-making equipment and bar ingredients, instructions for crafting flavorful syrups, and coaching on how to put some topspin on a serving glass with the perfect decorative rim. EASY-TO-MAKE DRINKS: Each of the 42 recipes is easy to assemble in the kitchen or on the court. Calling for everyday ingredients and simple techniques, these are perfect for all levels of cocktail-makers.GIFT FOR PICKLEBALL FANS: Picklers from 21 to 101 will delight in making delicious drinks inspired by the game. This cocktail recipe book makes a great gift for a pickleball partner, a favorite foursome, or any enthusiastic player. Pair with a bar tool or paddle-shaped snack tray to create a winning package.COCKTAILS ON THE GO: This book’s handy size makes it perfect for tucking into your duffle bag, along with a cocktail shaker, fresh ingredients, and your gear for an impromptu courtside party. Perfect for: Pickleball lovers Cocktail enthusiasts Anyone looking for summery drink recipes Gift-giving to pickleball partners and fans for birthday, thank you, housewarming, or just for fun Fun stocking stuffer or white elephant gift BIO Camille Wilson is an author and recipe developer based in New York City. She is the author of Free Spirit Cocktails: 40 Nonalcoholic Drink Recipes. Her blog, The Cocktail Snob, helps people discover the best cocktails in New York and features simple recipes for those who want to create happy hour at home. [H] Chronicle Books / September 02, 2025 0.59" H x 7.25" L x 5.25" W 112 pages

-- This title will ship on or after its release date: September 02, 2025 --
<meta charset="utf-8">Raise a glass to the joy of pickleball! This collection of 40+ delicious pickleball-inspired drink recipes is perfect for anyone who loves the game—and a well-crafted courtside cocktail.
What could be more perfect than a gorgeous, sunny day filled with rounds of pickleball with friends and rounds of well-crafted cocktails to toast your game? Whether you’re packing refreshments along with your paddle or just seeking pickleball vibes at your next soiree, this cocktail book serves what you need. For picklers of all levels, here are drink recipes inspired by pickleball phrases and terminology, including:
<ul class="a-unordered-list a-vertical">
<li>Cucumber-infused Backspin Spritz</li>
<li>Tequila-tastic Midcourt Margarita</li>
<li>The Pickletini: a classic with a briny twist!</li>
<li>Tropical-themed Paddle Punch</li>
<li>Fizzy and fabulous Aperol Approach</li>
</ul>
Great for pregaming, post-gaming, or sipping courtside between rounds, these libations are easy to prepare and delightful to drink. With colorful photography and a fun design, this vibrant little volume also includes an overview of key cocktail-making equipment and bar ingredients, instructions for crafting flavorful syrups, and coaching on how to put some topspin on a serving glass with the perfect decorative rim.
EASY-TO-MAKE DRINKS: Each of the 42 recipes is easy to assemble in the kitchen or on the court. Calling for everyday ingredients and simple techniques, these are perfect for all levels of cocktail-makers. GIFT FOR PICKLEBALL FANS: Picklers from 21 to 101 will delight in making delicious drinks inspired by the game. This cocktail recipe book makes a great gift for a pickleball partner, a favorite foursome, or any enthusiastic player. Pair with a bar tool or paddle-shaped snack tray to create a winning package. COCKTAILS ON THE GO: This book’s handy size makes it perfect for tucking into your duffle bag, along with a cocktail shaker, fresh ingredients, and your gear for an impromptu courtside party.  Perfect for: 
<ul class="a-unordered-list a-vertical">
<li>Pickleball lovers</li>
<li>Cocktail enthusiasts </li>
<li>Anyone looking for summery drink recipes </li>
<li>Gift-giving to pickleball partners and fans for birthday, thank you, housewarming, or just for fun</li>
<li>Fun stocking stuffer or white elephant gift</li>
</ul>
BIO
Camille Wilson is an author and recipe developer based in New York City. She is the author of Free Spirit Cocktails: 40 Nonalcoholic Drink Recipes. Her blog, The Cocktail Snob, helps people discover the best cocktails in New York and features simple recipes for those who want to create happy hour at home.
[H]  Chronicle Books  /  September 02, 2025
<meta charset="utf-8">0.59" H x 7.25" L x 5.25" W 112 pages

Dinks and Drinks: A Pickleball Cocktail Book /// Camille Wilson, photography by Erica Allen /// pre

-- This title will ship on or after its release date: August 14, 2025 -- In this mouthwatering companion to Soul Food Sunday, a child joins his grandmother in catching and cooking to prepare for the family’s fish fry.Fish Fry Friday is the perfect follow-up to Soul Food Sunday, a beloved Coretta Scott King Book Award Illustrator Honor Book.One special Friday when school is closed, our narrator finally gets to join Granny for her day’s routine. Rods and reels, lures and lines, bobbers and baits are packed in Granny’s Jeep.Everyone cheers when Granny arrives at the pier—“the queen has arrived!” After reeling in the perfect catch together, they carefully scale and skin, cut and gut, batter and fry the fish into beautiful filets.But the family meal isn’t complete until Grandson adds his own special side dish to the table—made just like Granny taught Momma, and like Momma taught him.On Friday evenings, we go to Granny’s for a fish fry.And on Friday mornings, Granny fishes.This Friday, “You coming fishing with me,” Granny says. BIO Winsome Bingham is a soul food connoisseur, teacher by trade and at heart, and a US Army war and disabled veteran. She received both bachelor's and master's degrees in education, with more than fifteen years of teaching experience, as well as an MFA in writing for children and young adults. [H] Abrams Books for Young Readers / August 14, 2025 0.5" H x 8.4" L x 10.4" W (1.0 lbs) 48 pages For ages 4 to 8

-- This title will ship on or after its release date: August 14, 2025 --
<meta charset="utf-8">In this mouthwatering companion to Soul Food Sunday, a child joins his grandmother in catching and cooking to prepare for the family’s fish fry. Fish Fry Friday is the perfect follow-up to Soul Food Sunday, a beloved Coretta Scott King Book Award Illustrator Honor Book. One special Friday when school is closed, our narrator finally gets to join Granny for her day’s routine. Rods and reels, lures and lines, bobbers and baits are packed in Granny’s Jeep. Everyone cheers when Granny arrives at the pier—“the queen has arrived!” After reeling in the perfect catch together, they carefully scale and skin, cut and gut, batter and fry the fish into beautiful filets. But the family meal isn’t complete until Grandson adds his own special side dish to the table—made just like Granny taught Momma, and like Momma taught him. On Friday evenings, we go to Granny’s for a fish fry. And on Friday mornings, Granny fishes. This Friday, “You coming fishing with me,” Granny says.
BIO
<meta charset="utf-8">Winsome Bingham is a soul food connoisseur, teacher by trade and at heart, and a US Army war and disabled veteran. She received both bachelor's and master's degrees in education, with more than fifteen years of teaching experience, as well as an MFA in writing for children and young adults.
[H]  Abrams Books for Young Readers  /  August 14, 2025
<meta charset="utf-8">0.5" H x 8.4" L x 10.4" W (1.0 lbs) 48 pages
For ages 4 to 8

Fish Fry Friday /// Winsome Bingham, illustrations by C.G. Esperanza /// pre

-- This title will ship on or after its release date: May 12, 2026 -- A bold, timely history by a leading Black farmer illuminating the massive contributions to U.S. agriculture made by African expertise and innovationAt the heart of Africulture is an aspect of history that will surprise, challenge, and enrich: the fact that without African expertise and innovation, American agriculture—and America itself—would not exist.This book is an eclectic brew of history, culture, African-centered perspectives, and African American farm realities: inspiring stories of innovators such as Henry Blair and Dr. George Washington Carver, and sobering facts such as the severe decline in Black farmers over the last century. Descriptions of tropical crops, from cotton to Nigerian spinach, that author Michael Carter, Jr. grows on his fifth-generation family farm in Virginia enliven the text, as will anecdotes from his compelling family history and sidebars on contemporary Black chefs and farmers. The life cycle of a plant is used as a metaphor for both individual growth and the larger story of African American farming. The author also evokes the relationship between soil health (metaphorically, society and community) and plant health (i.e., the ability of Black farmers and families to thrive).Africulture practices include no-till methods, organic growing, solarization, limited outside inputs, climate-smart practices, and regenerative agriculture. Woven into the narrative as well are Africulture principles including: As Above, So Below; ecological balance; stewardship; holistic value; preparation for seven generations; and cooperative economics. BIO Michael Carter Jr. is an eleventh-generation farmer in the United States and is the fifth generation to farm at Carter Farms, his family’s century farm in Orange County, Virginia, where he gives workshops on how to grow and market ethnic vegetables. In addition, he runs Africulture, a nonprofit dedicated to educating and expounding upon the principles, practices, plants and people of African descent that have contributed to agriculture. He sits on the board of directors of the Montpelier Descendants Committee, Orange County African American Historical Society, Virginia Food Systems Council, American Climate Partners, and Virginia Agrarian Trust. He also serves as a fellow for the Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation. Michael was recognized as a 2020 Audubon Naturalist Society Taking Nature Black Regional Environmental Champion, the 2020 VSU Small Farm Outreach Agent of the year and Future Harvest Casa Farmer of the Foodshed for 2021. He acquired an agricultural economics degree from North Carolina A&T State University and has worked in Ghana, Kenya, and Israel as an agronomist and organic agricultural consultant. He presently consults with numerous governments, organizations, institutions, and individuals throughout the region and nation on food access, food security/insecurity, market outreach, social and economic parity/equity/evaluation programs, racial understanding, immersion, history, and cultural training, among other areas. Michael also teaches and expounds on the contributions of Africans and African Americans to agriculture worldwide and trains students, educators, and professionals in African cultural understanding, racial literacy, empathy, and implicit bias recognition. He teaches his course on Africulture at the University of Virginia in the school of Environmental Thought and Practice. [H] Chelsea Green / May 12, 2026

-- This title will ship on or after its release date: May 12, 2026 --
<meta charset="utf-8">A bold, timely history by a leading Black farmer illuminating the massive contributions to U.S. agriculture made by African expertise and innovation At the heart of Africulture is an aspect of history that will surprise, challenge, and enrich: the fact that without African expertise and innovation, American agriculture—and America itself—would not exist. This book is an eclectic brew of history, culture, African-centered perspectives, and African American farm realities: inspiring stories of innovators such as Henry Blair and Dr. George Washington Carver, and sobering facts such as the severe decline in Black farmers over the last century. Descriptions of tropical crops, from cotton to Nigerian spinach, that author Michael Carter, Jr. grows on his fifth-generation family farm in Virginia enliven the text, as will anecdotes from his compelling family history and sidebars on contemporary Black chefs and farmers. The life cycle of a plant is used as a metaphor for both individual growth and the larger story of African American farming. The author also evokes the relationship between soil health (metaphorically, society and community) and plant health (i.e., the ability of Black farmers and families to thrive). Africulture practices include no-till methods, organic growing, solarization, limited outside inputs, climate-smart practices, and regenerative agriculture. Woven into the narrative as well are Africulture principles including: As Above, So Below; ecological balance; stewardship; holistic value; preparation for seven generations; and cooperative economics.
BIO
Michael Carter Jr. is an eleventh-generation farmer in the United States and is the fifth generation to farm at Carter Farms, his family’s century farm in Orange County, Virginia, where he gives workshops on how to grow and market ethnic vegetables. In addition, he runs Africulture, a nonprofit dedicated to educating and expounding upon the principles, practices, plants and people of African descent that have contributed to agriculture. He sits on the board of directors of the Montpelier Descendants Committee, Orange County African American Historical Society, Virginia Food Systems Council, American Climate Partners, and Virginia Agrarian Trust. He also serves as a fellow for the Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation. Michael was recognized as a 2020 Audubon Naturalist Society Taking Nature Black Regional Environmental Champion, the 2020 VSU Small Farm Outreach Agent of the year and Future Harvest Casa Farmer of the Foodshed for 2021. He acquired an agricultural economics degree from North Carolina A&amp;T State University and has worked in Ghana, Kenya, and Israel as an agronomist and organic agricultural consultant. He presently consults with numerous governments, organizations, institutions, and individuals throughout the region and nation on food access, food security/insecurity, market outreach, social and economic parity/equity/evaluation programs, racial understanding, immersion, history, and cultural training, among other areas. Michael also teaches and expounds on the contributions of Africans and African Americans to agriculture worldwide and trains students, educators, and professionals in African cultural understanding, racial literacy, empathy, and implicit bias recognition. He teaches his course on Africulture at the University of Virginia in the school of Environmental Thought and Practice. 
[H]  Chelsea Green  /  May 12, 2026

Africulture: How the Principles, Practices, Plants, and People of African Descent Have Shaped American Agriculture /// Michael J. Carter, foreword by Michael W. Twitty

-- This title will ship on or after its release date: October 28, 2025 -- Find joy in the kitchen with 100 recipes for nostalgic, flavorful comfort food from the creator of The Moody FoodyToni Chapman is a social media star who shares easy recipes for the homey classics you crave. Toni grew up in a family that loves to cook, and her homestyle cooking speaks to the beautiful intersectionality of food and family. Her dishes are inspired by the multicultural community she grew up in, with flavors from all over the globe. The 100 recipes she shares in Everything’s Good are approachable and weeknight-friendly, dialed in with her relentless attention to detail and brought to life by her bold and flavorful style. In Everything’s Good, Toni offers a treasure trove of brand-new recipes (and some viral favorites) with tips and tricks to set you up for success. Toni’s dishes are soulful and cozy—several recipes have been passed down from her family, like Pollo Guisado (Puerto Rican Chicken Stew); some are inspired by the Southern staples she grew up eating, such as Honey Butter Corn Bread; and others are Toni’s takes on the classics, like Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde. Her irresistible, foolproof recipes include: Start with Something Special: Juicy Red Sofrito Chicken Empanadas; Spinach, Crab, and Artichoke-Stuffed Shrimp; Cheesy Chicken Alfredo Bread Soulful Soups: The Very Best Pozole Verde; Spicy Lasagna Soup; The Ultimate Loaded Baked Potato Soup On a Lighter Note: Goes with Everything Salad; Lemon-Butter Cod; Good Vibes Rum Punch Take-Out Classics: General Tso’s Chicken; Jamaican-Style Oxtail with Rice and Peas; Straight-Fire Smash Burgers What’s For Dinner?: Creamy Shrimp and Crab-Stuffed Shells; Cola-Braised Short Ribs; Cheesy Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas Family Style: Mofongo con Camarones de Ajillo; Cajun Butter Turkey; Louisiana Red Beans and Rice; Sausage and Gravy Bake Life is Sweet: Strawberries and Cream Croissant Bake; Biscuit-Top Peach Cobbler; Cookies and Cream Tres Leches Sauces: The Perfect Sauce for Everything; Abuelita’s Green Sofrito; The Real MVP Ranch Dressing For Toni, food is a source of solace. Everything’s Good is a reminder that no matter what life throws your way, you can find comfort in preparing and sharing a delicious meal. BIO Toni Chapman is a passionate home cook, recipe developer, and the creator of Toni’s Recipes and The Moody Foody, where she shares bold, comforting dishes made for real life. Her flavor-packed, approachable cooking has landed her on Good Morning America, Live with Kelly and Mark, and CBS Mornings. Inspired by childhood favorites, takeout classics, and family traditions, her recipes are designed to impress, without the stress. Based in Miami, she loves cooking, entertaining, and traveling. REVIEWS “Everything’s Good is bold, soulful, and full of heart—Toni Chapman’s debut brings folks together with feel-good, flavor-packed food. She’s the real deal—BAM!” -- Emeril Lagasse“I absolutely love Toni Chapman, and I have no doubt her new cookbook, Everything’s Good, will become a staple in your kitchen. These are the kind of recipes you’ll find yourself coming back to day after day.” -- Gina Homolka, New York Times bestselling author and founder of Skinnytaste“Everything’s Good is a joyful, flavor-packed love letter to comfort food, heritage, and hustle. With every page, Toni invites you into her world—vibrant, playful, and unapologetically delicious. The recipes are bold, craveable, and easy to love, with photos that make you want to lick the page and a design that feels like you’re walking into the best party buffet ever—everything looks so good that you won’t know where to start. (Spoiler: Start with the Pizza Supreme Dip. It literally made me drool.)” -- Rick Martínez, chef and author of Mi Cocina and Salsa Daddy“Toni Chapman’s Everything’s Good is exactly the kind of cookbook that refuses to just sit pretty on a shelf—it’s meant to live and breathe in your kitchen, with worn pages splashed with sauce. It’s packed with soulful family faves like her pernil and the drive-thru hits you crave (but made a thousand times better at home). This isn’t just another collection of recipes. It’s healing and pure joy you can taste. Trust ya girl—when Toni says everything’s good, she means it and delivers.” -- Jocelyn Delk Adams, television host and award-winning cookbook author of Grandbaby Cakes and Everyday Grand“Everything’s Good is that cozy classic you’ll keep coming back to—today, tomorrow, forever. Toni Chapman brings you recipes that hit home every time: full of flavor, love, and that extra touch that makes people stop and say, ‘Who made this?’ This book isn’t just for the kitchen—it’s your go-to move when you want to show out and show love. Trust me. You’re gonna want this one on your shelf.” -- JJ Johnson, chef and restaurateur“Toni’s recipes are famous for being drippy, gooey, cheesy, and awe-inducing. The vibrant and beautiful pages of Everything’s Good transport you to her kitchen and allow you to re-create delicious dishes like The Perfect Pollo Guisado, Rum and Cola Wings, and more, making it a must-buy!” -- Adrianna Adarme, author of The Year of Cozy and founder of A Cozy Kitchen [H] Clarkson Potter / October 28, 2025 1.25 lbs 256 pages

-- This title will ship on or after its release date: October 28, 2025 -- 
<meta charset="utf-8">Find joy in the kitchen with 100 recipes for nostalgic, flavorful comfort food from the creator of The Moody Foody Toni Chapman is a social media star who shares easy recipes for the homey classics you crave. Toni grew up in a family that loves to cook, and her homestyle cooking speaks to the beautiful intersectionality of food and family. Her dishes are inspired by the multicultural community she grew up in, with flavors from all over the globe. The 100 recipes she shares in Everything’s Good are approachable and weeknight-friendly, dialed in with her relentless attention to detail and brought to life by her bold and flavorful style.  In Everything’s Good, Toni offers a treasure trove of brand-new recipes (and some viral favorites) with tips and tricks to set you up for success. Toni’s dishes are soulful and cozy—several recipes have been passed down from her family, like Pollo Guisado (Puerto Rican Chicken Stew); some are inspired by the Southern staples she grew up eating, such as Honey Butter Corn Bread; and others are Toni’s takes on the classics, like Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde. Her irresistible, foolproof recipes include:  
<ul>
<li>
Start with Something Special: Juicy Red Sofrito Chicken Empanadas; Spinach, Crab, and Artichoke-Stuffed Shrimp; Cheesy Chicken Alfredo Bread </li>
<li>
Soulful Soups: The Very Best Pozole Verde; Spicy Lasagna Soup; The Ultimate Loaded Baked Potato Soup</li>
<li>
On a Lighter Note: Goes with Everything Salad; Lemon-Butter Cod; Good Vibes Rum Punch</li>
<li>
Take-Out Classics: General Tso’s Chicken; Jamaican-Style Oxtail with Rice and Peas; Straight-Fire Smash Burgers</li>
<li>
What’s For Dinner?: Creamy Shrimp and Crab-Stuffed Shells; Cola-Braised Short Ribs; Cheesy Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas</li>
<li>
Family Style: Mofongo con Camarones de Ajillo; Cajun Butter Turkey; Louisiana Red Beans and Rice; Sausage and Gravy Bake</li>
<li>
Life is Sweet: Strawberries and Cream Croissant Bake; Biscuit-Top Peach Cobbler; Cookies and Cream Tres Leches</li>
<li>
Sauces: The Perfect Sauce for Everything; Abuelita’s Green Sofrito; The Real MVP Ranch Dressing</li>
</ul>
For Toni, food is a source of solace. Everything’s Good is a reminder that no matter what life throws your way, you can find comfort in preparing and sharing a delicious meal.
BIO
Toni Chapman is a passionate home cook, recipe developer, and the creator of Toni’s Recipes and The Moody Foody, where she shares bold, comforting dishes made for real life. Her flavor-packed, approachable cooking has landed her on Good Morning America, Live with Kelly and Mark, and CBS Mornings. Inspired by childhood favorites, takeout classics, and family traditions, her recipes are designed to impress, without the stress. Based in Miami, she loves cooking, entertaining, and traveling.
REVIEWS
“Everything’s Good is bold, soulful, and full of heart—Toni Chapman’s debut brings folks together with feel-good, flavor-packed food. She’s the real deal—BAM!” -- Emeril Lagasse “I absolutely love Toni Chapman, and I have no doubt her new cookbook, Everything’s Good, will become a staple in your kitchen. These are the kind of recipes you’ll find yourself coming back to day after day.” -- Gina Homolka, New York Times bestselling author and founder of Skinnytaste “Everything’s Good is a joyful, flavor-packed love letter to comfort food, heritage, and hustle. With every page, Toni invites you into her world—vibrant, playful, and unapologetically delicious. The recipes are bold, craveable, and easy to love, with photos that make you want to lick the page and a design that feels like you’re walking into the best party buffet ever—everything looks so good that you won’t know where to start. (Spoiler: Start with the Pizza Supreme Dip. It literally made me drool.)” -- Rick Martínez, chef and author of Mi Cocina and Salsa Daddy “Toni Chapman’s Everything’s Good is exactly the kind of cookbook that refuses to just sit pretty on a shelf—it’s meant to live and breathe in your kitchen, with worn pages splashed with sauce. It’s packed with soulful family faves like her pernil and the drive-thru hits you crave (but made a thousand times better at home). This isn’t just another collection of recipes. It’s healing and pure joy you can taste. Trust ya girl—when Toni says everything’s good, she means it and delivers.” -- Jocelyn Delk Adams, television host and award-winning cookbook author of Grandbaby Cakes and Everyday Grand “Everything’s Good is that cozy classic you’ll keep coming back to—today, tomorrow, forever. Toni Chapman brings you recipes that hit home every time: full of flavor, love, and that extra touch that makes people stop and say, ‘Who made this?’ This book isn’t just for the kitchen—it’s your go-to move when you want to show out and show love. Trust me. You’re gonna want this one on your shelf.” -- JJ Johnson, chef and restaurateur “Toni’s recipes are famous for being drippy, gooey, cheesy, and awe-inducing. The vibrant and beautiful pages of Everything’s Good transport you to her kitchen and allow you to re-create delicious dishes like The Perfect Pollo Guisado, Rum and Cola Wings, and more, making it a must-buy!” -- Adrianna Adarme, author of The Year of Cozy and founder of A Cozy Kitchen
[H]  Clarkson Potter  /  October 28, 2025
<meta charset="utf-8">1.25 lbs 256 pages

Everything's Good: Cozy Classics You'll Cook Always and Forever /// Toni Chapman /// pre

-- This title will ship on or after September 02, 2025 -- The first book to center Black artists' voices on Black aesthetics, revealing a century of evolving relationships to race, identity, and art. What is Black art? No one has thought harder about that question than Black artists, yet their perspectives have been largely ignored. Instead, their stories have been told by intellectuals like W. E. B. Du Bois and Alain Locke, who defined "a school" of Black art in the early twentieth century. For the first time, Black Artists in Their Own Words offers an insightful corrective. Esteemed art historian Lisa Farrington gathers writing spanning a century across the United States, the Caribbean, and the African continent—including from renowned artists Henry Tanner, Nancy Elizabeth Prophet, Romare Bearden, Wifredo Lam, Renee Cox, and many more—that reveals both evolutions and equivocations. Many artists, especially during the civil rights era, have embraced Black aesthetics as a source of empowerment. Others prefer to be artists first and Black second, while some have rejected racial identification entirely. Here, Black artists reclaim their work from reductive critical narratives, sharing the motivations underlying their struggles to create in a white-dominated art world. BIO Lisa Farrington is Distinguished Professor Emerita at the City University of New York, past Associate Dean of Fine Arts at Howard University, and author of Creating Their Own Image: The History of African-American Women Artists and African-American Art: A Visual and Cultural History. REVIEWS "An invaluable celebration of Black creativity." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Collectively, these texts open a lens to the artists' memories, artistic processes, travels, racial conflicts, artworld protests, organizational formations, feminist art histories, and philosophical orientations. Lisa Farrington has conceptualized an unprecedented anthology in the voices of Black artists and scholars who have made an impact in art, its history and criticism, and philosophical discourse worldwide." -- Freida High Wasikhongo Tesfagiorgis, artist and art historian [P] University of California Press / September 02, 2025 1.2" H x 9.9" L x 7.0" W (1.75 lbs) 416 pages

-- This title will ship on or after September 02, 2025 --
<meta charset="utf-8">The first book to center Black artists' voices on Black aesthetics, revealing a century of evolving relationships to race, identity, and art.   What is Black art? No one has thought harder about that question than Black artists, yet their perspectives have been largely ignored. Instead, their stories have been told by intellectuals like W. E. B. Du Bois and Alain Locke, who defined "a school" of Black art in the early twentieth century. For the first time, Black Artists in Their Own Words offers an insightful corrective.   Esteemed art historian Lisa Farrington gathers writing spanning a century across the United States, the Caribbean, and the African continent—including from renowned artists Henry Tanner, Nancy Elizabeth Prophet, Romare Bearden, Wifredo Lam, Renee Cox, and many more—that reveals both evolutions and equivocations. Many artists, especially during the civil rights era, have embraced Black aesthetics as a source of empowerment. Others prefer to be artists first and Black second, while some have rejected racial identification entirely. Here, Black artists reclaim their work from reductive critical narratives, sharing the motivations underlying their struggles to create in a white-dominated art world.
BIO
<meta charset="utf-8">Lisa Farrington is Distinguished Professor Emerita at the City University of New York, past Associate Dean of Fine Arts at Howard University, and author of Creating Their Own Image: The History of African-American Women Artists and African-American Art: A Visual and Cultural History.
REVIEWS
"An invaluable celebration of Black creativity." -- <cite class="BookReviewsSection_review__source__N_Khi">Kirkus Reviews (starred review)</cite>
"Collectively, these texts open a lens to the artists' memories, artistic processes, travels, racial conflicts, artworld protests, organizational formations, feminist art histories, and philosophical orientations. Lisa Farrington has conceptualized an unprecedented anthology in the voices of Black artists and scholars who have made an impact in art, its history and criticism, and philosophical discourse worldwide." -- Freida High Wasikhongo Tesfagiorgis, artist and art historian
[P]  University of California Press  /  <meta charset="utf-8">September 02, 2025
<meta charset="utf-8">1.2" H x 9.9" L x 7.0" W (1.75 lbs) 416 pages

Black Artists in Their Own Words /// edited by Lisa Farrington /// pre

-- This title will ship on or after its release date: October 28, 2025 -- Celebrate Black culture and pop history in this unique and engaging collection of crosswords for puzzlers of all skill levels!The Original Black Puzzle ExperienceSit back and enjoy. Flex your knowledge and learn hundreds of factoids in the first installment of this engaging puzzle series!Nationally syndicated puzzle creator of the Essence and Ebony crosswords, and creator of BlackCrosswords.com, Jan Buckner Walker offers a new collection of crossword puzzles highlighting Black culture and its contributions to North American pop culture and history. From Lorraine Hansberry and N.K. Jemison, to Beyoncé, Barack Obama, Motown and Shonda Rhimes, BlackCrosswords: In Our Own Words covers the wide breadth of the legacy Black Americans have left on history, sports, literature, music, and politics––with a side of quotable wisdom! BIO Jan Buckner Walker is a nationally syndicated crossword puzzle creator, author and games creator. [P] Andrews McMeel Publishing / October 28, 2025 0.4" H x 10.0" L x 8.0" W (0.02 lbs) 112 page

-- This title will ship on or after its release date: October 28, 2025 -- 
<meta charset="utf-8">Celebrate Black culture and pop history in this unique and engaging collection of crosswords for puzzlers of all skill levels! The Original Black Puzzle Experience Sit back and enjoy. Flex your knowledge and learn hundreds of factoids in the first installment of this engaging puzzle series! Nationally syndicated puzzle creator of the Essence and Ebony crosswords, and creator of BlackCrosswords.com, Jan Buckner Walker offers a new collection of crossword puzzles highlighting Black culture and its contributions to North American pop culture and history. From Lorraine Hansberry and N.K. Jemison, to Beyoncé, Barack Obama, Motown and Shonda Rhimes, BlackCrosswords: In Our Own Words covers the wide breadth of the legacy Black Americans have left on history, sports, literature, music, and politics––with a side of quotable wisdom!
BIO
<meta charset="utf-8">Jan Buckner Walker is a nationally syndicated crossword puzzle creator, author and games creator.
[P]  Andrews McMeel Publishing  /  <meta charset="utf-8">October 28, 2025
<meta charset="utf-8">0.4" H x 10.0" L x 8.0" W (0.02 lbs) 112 page

Blackcrosswords 1: In Our Own Words /// Jan Buckner Walker

-- This title will ship on or after December 30, 2025 -- Black nationalist ideas have been debated and discussed over the centuries, and have shaped black religious, cultural, economic and intellectual thought. But how is black nationalism popularly understood? And how should we reckon with the unique position of black people in the United States, where black nationalism has been fundamentally shaped by the white nationalism expressed in the generations before the Civil War?In this illuminating new book, Jeffrey O. G. Ogbar sheds much-needed light on black community, unity, and cultural, social, and political identity. The story of black nationalism is not limited to “back-to-Africa” Garveyites, or to the religious nationalism of the Nation of Islam. By retelling the story of perhaps the most well-known figure of the movement, Malcolm X, he reveals how internationalism, self-determination, self-defense, and empowerment through the electoral process are the cornerstones of black nationalist thought. More than “racial solidarity” or racial pride, black nationalism in its truest form seeks territorial and political sovereignty—and the (often transnational) efforts to achieve nationhood have brought disparate communities together under the single banner of nationalism.Offering both a panoramic and meticulous history, this lively book is essential reading for any student or scholar of African-American history and U.S. history, as well as anyone who has been curious about the extraordinary reach and impact of black nationalism in contemporary American society. BIO Jeffrey O. G. Ogbar is Professor of History at the University of Connecticut. In June 2012 he was named the University’s Vice Provost for Diversity. In 2014 he became founding director of the Center for the Study of Popular Music. [P] Polity Press / December 30, 2025 240 pages

-- This title will ship on or after December 30, 2025 --
<meta charset="utf-8">Black nationalist ideas have been debated and discussed over the centuries, and have shaped black religious, cultural, economic and intellectual thought. But how is black nationalism popularly understood? And how should we reckon with the unique position of black people in the United States, where black nationalism has been fundamentally shaped by the white nationalism expressed in the generations before the Civil War? In this illuminating new book, Jeffrey O. G. Ogbar sheds much-needed light on black community, unity, and cultural, social, and political identity. The story of black nationalism is not limited to “back-to-Africa” Garveyites, or to the religious nationalism of the Nation of Islam. By retelling the story of perhaps the most well-known figure of the movement, Malcolm X, he reveals how internationalism, self-determination, self-defense, and empowerment through the electoral process are the cornerstones of black nationalist thought. More than “racial solidarity” or racial pride, black nationalism in its truest form seeks territorial and political sovereignty—and the (often transnational) efforts to achieve nationhood have brought disparate communities together under the single banner of nationalism. Offering both a panoramic and meticulous history, this lively book is essential reading for any student or scholar of African-American history and U.S. history, as well as anyone who has been curious about the extraordinary reach and impact of black nationalism in contemporary American society.
BIO
<meta charset="utf-8">Jeffrey O. G. Ogbar is Professor of History at the University of Connecticut. In June 2012 he was named the University’s Vice Provost for Diversity. In 2014 he became founding director of the Center for the Study of Popular Music.
[P]  Polity Press  /  December 30, 2025
240 pages

Land of Our Own: Malcolm X and the Evolution of Black Nationalism /// Jeffrey O. Ogbar /// pre

“Extraordinary. A story about belonging in liminal spaces, and longing for things seemingly just out of reach. A searing, beautiful book.” —Kiley Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Come and Get It“Complex and enduring…We would follow Zuzu anywhere.” —Oprah DailyA big-hearted novel of nostalgia and longing, and a poignant exploration of how we choose to love.Zuzu met her best friend Cash on the first day of college, and nothing was ever the same. Tall, witty, and popular, his friendship represented a kind of belonging for Zuzu, who had always felt like an outsider growing up biracial in her rural hometown. Though their friendship was charged with longing, it never progressed to romance. Now approaching her forties, Zuzu has built a stable life with her wife Agnes, a steadfast and career-driven lawyer. Yet Zuzu is haunted by the choices that have shaped her: living with her mother instead of her father in childhood, pursuing law over art, and marrying Agnes while harboring complex feelings for Cash.When a sudden loss pulls Zuzu back to her hometown, the “what ifs” in her mind become louder than ever, and she begins to unwind the turns that have led her here. Will she embrace the choices she’s made, or risk everything for a chance to chase the past? A novel that speaks to unfulfilled desires and the euphoric nostalgia that’s particular to the beginning of middle age, The Other Wife is as heartfelt as it is daring in its deep reckoning with the past and quest for true joy. BIO Jackie Thomas-Kennedy was awarded a Stegner Fellowship in 2014. She is the winner of the 2019 Stella Kupfer­berg Memorial Short Story Prize, and her work has been recorded for NPR’s Selected Shorts. Her stories have appeared in Ameri­can Short Fiction, One Story, Electric Lit­erature, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA in fiction from Columbia University School of the Arts and lives in California. REVIEWS “A marvelous study in how much desire lives in memory, in nostalgia and in fantasy.” -- The Washington Post“[An] original love story that paints a compelling and real picture of how our minds pinball through time, seeking in the present some of the thrill and love and validation of old patterns…We would follow Zuzu anywhere.” -- Oprah Daily“Vividly rendered…as a portrait of a biracial, bisexual person’s discomfort in the space society allows them, the novel’s lasting effect is nuanced and thought-provoking.” -- The Star Tribune“Extraordinary. A story about belonging in liminal spaces, and longing for things seemingly just out of reach. A searing, beautiful book.” -- Kiley Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Come and Get It“A probing, gorgeous novel about the intricacies of desire: for other loves, other lives, other versions of the self…a remarkable debut.” -- Kirsten Valdez Quade, author of The Five Wounds [H] Riverhead Books / July 15, 2025 1.11" H x 8.43" L x 5.86" W (0.83 lbs) 304 pages

The Other Wife: A Novel /// Jackie Thomas-Kennedy /// new

Follow a sunshine-bright baby as he goes about his busy day with his dad. Accented by Ghanian culture and sprinkled with Twi vocabulary this cheery picture book is a must-read for any new family.Sunshine BabyBofrot CheeksDaddy ticklesBaby shrieksSunshine Baby, Bofrot Cheeks follows a day in the life of a rambunctious little baby and his Dad as they wake up, eat, play games, take a bath, and finally, go to bed. With some common Twi words throughout, this book is the perfect gift for new parents! BIO Bernard Mensah works in software engineering by day and writes stories by night. He is the author of titles like Esi the Brave and Yawa the Adventurer. He is passionate about Black and African representation in publishing and founded HabermanNerds to nurture and promote African storytelling. He grew up in Ghana, climbing trees, playing soccer, and dreaming up stories at the library. Bernard now lives in the United Kingdom with his two rambunctious boys. [H] Little Bee Books / July 22, 2025 0.4" H x 9.1" L x 9.2" W (0.7 lbs) 32 pages For ages 3 to 6

Sunshine Baby, Bofrot Cheeks /// Bernard Mensah, illustrations by Islenia Mil /// new

By a striking new voice in fiction, an electric coming-of-age novel that explores grief, family, sexuality, and love as an ambitious young woman from Washington Heights tries to make it on Broadway“Guerrero leaves the reader not just enthralled and delighted but waiting with bated breath for what she will conjure up next.”—Xochitl Gonzalez, author of Anita de Monte Laughs LastAfter her sister Nena’s sudden death, Xiomara, an Afro-Latina singer and actress born and raised in Washington Heights, is numb. With her sister gone, Xiomara, painfully close to thirty, is living in a tiny apartment with her ultra-Catholic Puerto Rican mother, and having the same shitty sex with the same shitty men that she’s been entertaining for years. Behind on rent despite two minimum-wage jobs, one of which involves singing show tunes while serving pancakes to tourists at Ellen’s Stardust Diner, Xiomara is bitingly cynical, especially in her grief, and barely treading water.But when a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity falls into her lap—the chance to audition for Manny Santos, the most charismatic director of the moment—Xiomara sees a second chance to pursue the dream she thought she’d lost. Meanwhile, something about Santi, a new co-worker at the print shop where she spends half of her days photocopying other performers’ headshots, starts to tug at the threads of her apathy. Nothing is simple, and soon Xiomara finds herself interacting with the ugliest sides of the industry and the powerful men who control it. Sometimes the closer you are to your dreams, the further away you become from yourself, and as Xiomara grapples with this hard truth, she is forced to ask herself if she has what it takes to build a new shiny life without losing the truth of her old one.With hopeful spirit and unapologetic energy, My Train Leaves at Three is a coming-of-age story about the balancing act between moving on and moving forward. BIO Natalie Guerrero is a writer based in Los Angeles. Her writing has been featured in publications such as Electric Literature, Byline, Goop, and Blavity. Guerrero’s long-form work includes “On Silence,” an essay published in Hungry Hearts (Dial Press) and Walking in My Joy (Amistad), a collection that Guerrero co-authored with actress Jenifer Lewis. Guerrero previously held positions with HarperCollins, WME Books, and Macro/M88. In her free time, she can be found walking her dog, Tupac, in the hills of Los Feliz. REVIEWS “Set in Washington Heights, My Train Leaves at Three follows Xiomara, an Afro-Latina singer and actress grieving the loss of her sister while struggling to stay afloat and pursue her dreams of Broadway. The novel explores grief and the challenge of balancing self-authenticity with the pressures of success.” -- TODAY“The balance between ambition and authenticity swirls throughout Guerrero’s coming-of-age debut as Xiomara strives to break out and become a star while grappling with the loss of her sister. It’s as equally soft and sweet as it is biting. Guerrero’s writing is fully charged from the jump.” -- Debutiful“This quiet, beautiful book came to me recently, at a time when I was experimenting with my voice in new mediums. Guerrero’s story of transformation through solitude and movement reminded me that healing and change are not always loud. I see this reflected in characters who grow in silence, in the spaces in-­between.” -- Mara Brock Akil for Vogue“A brilliant debut . . . My Train Leaves at Three is an emotionally layered story as well as a fiery love letter to the Latina diaspora and female quarter-life crisis. With writing that is sharp and straightforward, author Natalie Guerrero writes about young women, connection and loss. . . . There are multiple concepts cordially coexisting in this book, all essential and beautifully integrated.” -- Dominican Writers Association [H] One World / July 15, 2025 0.94" H x 9.53" L x 6.34" W (0.94 lbs) 256 pages

My Train Leaves at Three: A Novel /// Natalie Guerrero /// new

A transformative love story about two best friends who fall for each other, fall apart, and try to find their way back together in their tight-knit British-Jamaican community.South London, 1981: Daphne is the only Black girl in her class. All she wants is to keep her head down, preferably in a book. The easiest way to survive is to go unnoticed. Daphne’s attempts at invisibility are upended when a boy named Connie Small arrives from Jamaica. Connie is the opposite of small in every way: lanky, outgoing, and unapologetically himself. Daphne tries to keep her distance, but Connie is magnetic, and they form an intense bond. As they navigate growing up in a volatile, rapidly changing city, their families become close, and their friendship begins to shift into something more complicated. When Connie reveals that he and his mother “nuh land”—meaning they’re in England illegally—Daphne realizes that she is dangerously entangled in Connie’s fragile home life. Soon, long-buried secrets in both families threaten to tear them apart permanently.Spanning one tumultuous decade, from the industrial docklands of the Thames to the sandy beaches of Calabash Bay, Jamaica Road is a deftly plotted and emotionally expansive debut novel about race and class, the family you’re born with and the family you choose, and the limits of what true love can really conquer. BIO Lisa Smith is a writer and filmmaker from South London born to Caribbean parents. She has an M.A. in Creative & Life Writing from Goldsmiths, University of London, where she won the Pat Kavanagh Prize in 2019. Her short story “Auld Lang Syne” won the 2017 Guardian 4th Estate BAME Short Story Prize, and she was a 2020 London Library Emerging Writer. REVIEWS “A winning debut… A sensitive portrayal of growing up Black in London… The novel resists final judgments and easy answers, recalling F. Scott Fitzgerald’s marker of a ‘first-rate intelligence’ — the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind, to ‘be able to see that things are hopeless yet be determined to make them otherwise.’… Profound.” -- Marion Winik, Boston Globe“Smith’s dialogue is pitch-perfect. Most impressive is the way she draws Daphne and Connie, both complex characters constantly looking for somewhere to fit in. The writing is top-notch, and the novel manages to be heartfelt but never sentimental. This is a major achievement from an author with talent to spare. A moving, beautifully structured novel from an incredible new voice.” -- Kirkus, starred“Smith’s captivating debut sees a British Jamaican woman take stock of the friendships and sense of purpose she found in her youth in 1980s Southeast London… In a narrative enriched by lilting patois and vibrant details of Jamaican cooking and the period’s ska scene, Smith’s well-rounded characters spring to life. This gritty drama hits hard.” -- Publishers Weekly, starred“Poignant and gripping… Both deeply personal and powerfully political, tackling injustice without ever feeling didactic. Jamaica Road is a compelling, emotionally charged read that feels as urgent today as it would have decades ago, an unforgettable story of love, resistance, and self-discovery.” -- Booklist [H] Knopf Publishing Group / July 15, 2025 1.51" H x 9.42" L x 6.33" W (1.39 lbs) 448 pages

Jamaica Road /// Lisa Smith /// new

When Jada Williams is relentlessly pursued by the Debt Police, she is left with no choice but to take down her student loan company with the help of two mall coworkers—from the author of the “lethally witty” (The New York Times Book Review) The Survivalists.Jada Williams is good at judging people by their looks. From across the mall, she can tell not only someone’s inseam and pants size, but exactly what style they need to transform their life. Too bad she’s no longer using this superpower as a wardrobe designer to Hollywood stars, but for minimum wage plus commission at the Glendale mall.When Jada is fired yet again, she is forced to outrun the newly instated Debt Police who are out for blood. But Jada, like any great antihero, is not going to wait for the cops to come kick her around. With the help of two other debt-burdened mall coworkers, she hatches a plan for revenge. Together the three women plan a heist to erase their student loans forever and get back at the system that promised them everything and then tried to take it back.“A novel of great fun and unforgettable fury” (Megha Majumdar, bestselling author of A Burning) The Payback is a razor-sharp and hilarious dissection of race, power, and the daily grind, from one of the most original and exciting writers at work today. BIO Kashana Cauley is the author of The Payback and The Survivalists, which was named a best book of 2023 by the BBC, Today, Vogue, and more. Cauley is also a television writer, having worked on The Great North, Pod Save America on HBO, and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Her writing has also appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Esquire, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, and more. Find out more at KashanaCauley.com. REVIEWS “Riotous – and righteous.” -- Vanity Fair “For all that it deals with systemic racism and economic precarity, The Payback is a terrifically fun book that made me laugh out loud at least once every chapter.” -- The Los Angeles Times New York Times 31 Novels to Read This Summer“A novel of great fun and unforgettable fury, The Payback sharply questions the punitive systems we live within, the contradiction between social wellbeing and individual wellness, and what it means to work toward a decent life.” -- Megha Majumdar, bestselling author of A Burning “In Cauley’s timely and playful novel, three retail co-workers-turned-friends hatch a plot to wipe out student loan debt. From bonding over their distrust of the debt police to carrying out their daring scheme, the trio’s story reads like a delightful heist movie. (Actually, Hollywood, if you’re listening: Snap this one up).” -- Bustle, Most Anticipated Books of Summer [H] Atria Books / July 15, 2025 0.93" H x 8.56" L x 5.87" W (0.75 lbs) 256 pages

The Payback /// Kashana Cauley /// new

-- This title will ship on or after August 05, 2025 -- An uplifting mini book filled with a bouquet of inspiration from artist and Instagram creator Devon BlowPlanted in kindness, watered by joy, life blooms beautifully.From artist and writer Devon Blow, this beautifully illustrated companion fills each page with reflections, prose, positive words of encouragement, and heartfelt affirmations to guide you through life’s daily challenges.You Deserve Flowers: Blooms of Self Love & Empowerment is a celebration of you, affirming that you deserve love, joy, and recognition as resplendent as flowers. Keep this book close as your constant source of cheer, inspiring resilience and positivity whenever you need a lift. BIO Devon Blow is a dynamic artist from Los Angeles specializing in illustration, design, writing, and social justice advocacy. Her art passionately supports marginalized communities and celebrates cultural diversity. Blow’s impressive client roster includes Netflix, the Los Angeles Rams, Oprah’s Book Club, Adidas, Adobe, Penguin Random House, The Los Angeles Times, and the United Nations. Explore her work at www.devthepineapple.com and connect on Instagram @devthepineapple. [H] Familius / August 05, 2025 0.61" H x 4.48" L x 4.58" W (0.32 lbs) 112 pages

-- This title will ship on or after August 05, 2025 --
<meta charset="utf-8">An uplifting mini book filled with a bouquet of inspiration from artist and Instagram creator Devon Blow Planted in kindness, watered by joy, life blooms beautifully. From artist and writer Devon Blow, this beautifully illustrated companion fills each page with reflections, prose, positive words of encouragement, and heartfelt affirmations to guide you through life’s daily challenges. You Deserve Flowers: Blooms of Self Love &amp; Empowerment is a celebration of you, affirming that you deserve love, joy, and recognition as resplendent as flowers. Keep this book close as your constant source of cheer, inspiring resilience and positivity whenever you need a lift.
BIO
Devon Blow is a dynamic artist from Los Angeles specializing in illustration, design, writing, and social justice advocacy. Her art passionately supports marginalized communities and celebrates cultural diversity. Blow’s impressive client roster includes Netflix, the Los Angeles Rams, Oprah’s Book Club, Adidas, Adobe, Penguin Random House, The Los Angeles Times, and the United Nations. Explore her work at www.devthepineapple.com and connect on Instagram @devthepineapple.
[H]  Familius  /  August 05, 2025
<meta charset="utf-8">0.61" H x 4.48" L x 4.58" W (0.32 lbs) 112 pages

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