The San Francisco Chronicle has published a longform article by Lindsey Smith on managed retreat in California, a strategy for adapting to climate change that communities across the state and around the world are starting to embrace. Smith has just concluded a climate reporting fellowship with the Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism at Ohio University, and was recently chosen as one of five writers for inclusion in the 2022-2023 class of the Lisa Brown and Daniel Handler Writer’s Residency.
Kyle Paoletta's American Oasis Sold to Pantheon
Journalist Kyle Paoletta has accepted an offer from David Treuer at Pantheon to publish American Oasis: How the Cities of the Southwest Forecast Our Sweltering, Multicultural Future, a set of interwoven narratives exploring the region’s Indigenous and colonial history as well as its unique modern culture. In the book, Paoletta — a New Mexico native and contributor to Harper's, The Believer, and The Nation, among others — will examine the stories of these cities through the lives of such noted local characters as the modernist architect Judith Chafee in Tucson, the Chicano poet Jimmy Santiago Baca in Albuquerque, and the washed up celebrity detective Jay J. Armes in El Paso, as he makes the case that the climatic and demographic shifts taking place in the Southwest foreshadow what will soon face the nation as a whole.
Update, April 21, 2022: Paoletta’s related longform article “We Woke Up and We Lost Half Our Water” has been published by New York Magazine.
John Keene's Punks Embraced as Singular Achievement
In addition to a starred review in Publishers Weekly describing Punks as a “brilliant, expansive collection” that is “brimming with energy and memorably phrased insights,” John Keene’s newly published volume of poetry has continued to receive praise since its release late last year. Heralded for superbly evoking both queer and African American experiences, the book’s press highlights include a lengthy essay from the Poetry Foundation and an in-depth interview with Keene conducted by Bookforum. Links to more coverage can be found at the publisher’s website, where the book is available for purchase.
Ozoz Sokoh's Nigerian Cookbook Sold at Auction to Artisan
Ozoz Sokoh — the West African food expert and Warri native behind the Kitchen Butterfly blog — has selected Artisan to publish Chop Chop, her guide to the traditional foods of Nigeria. Covering regional styles and historical influences, the book will feature full-color photography and 120 recipes, including jollof rice, smoky-spicy beef suya skewers, egusi soup with greens, sweet-tart hibiscus drinks, and golden-fried puff puff. Canadian rights have been acquired by Appetite and West African rights have been acquired by Narrative Landscape Press.
Danny Childs’s Slow Drinks Sold to Hardie Grant Publishing
In its first deal under the auspices of its new North American publishing operations, Hardie Grant has acquired the rights to publish Slow Drinks: A Field Guide to Foraging and Fermenting Seasonal Sodas, Botanical Cocktails, and Country Wines by ethnobotanist and bartender Danny Childs. A columnist for Edible Jersey and creator of @slowdrinks on Instagram, Childs will produce a guide to growing and foraging seasonal ingredients that can be made into a wide range of unique beverages. Including some 120 recipes and techniques, Slow Drinks will feature both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, with instructions adaptable to regions throughout the Northern Hemisphere.
Norman Zelaya's Short Story Collection Sold to Black Freighter Press
Independent San Francisco publisher Black Freighter Press — headed by Alie Jones and San Francisco poet laureate Tongo Eisen-Martin — has acquired Norman Antonio Zelaya’s forthcoming short story collection Gente, Folks. In this volume, Zelaya, a San Francisco State MFA graduate and special education teacher, will explore the layers of the Nicaraguan American experience among denizens of San Francisco’s historic Mission District.
Bricia Lopez and Javier Cabral’s Follow-up to Oaxaca Sold to Abrams
On the heels of publishing the popular cookbook Oaxaca: Home Cooking from the Heart of Mexico by Bricia Lopez and Javier Cabral, Abrams has acquired the duo’s next collaboration, entitled Asada: The Art of Mexican Grilling. In the forthcoming book, restaurateur Lopez and writer Cabral will celebrate the unique tradition of backyard barbecues found in Mexican American communities in East L.A. and around the nation, equipping readers with more than 100 dishes and drinks to prepare unforgettable spreads at their own festive gatherings.
John Keene Publishes New Poetry Collection
MacArthur and Cave Canem Fellow John Keene’s Punks: New & Selected Poems is available now from independent New York publisher The Song Cave. This landmark collection weaves together historic narratives of loss, lust, and love, giving voice to a cast of characters who address desire, oppression, AIDS, grief, and more, all with incomparable depth and nuance. An indispensable poet, Keene has also garnered accolades for his prose — notably with Counternarratives (New Directions, 2015) — and is a winner of the Windham-Campbell Prize, the Whiting Foundation Prize, the Republic of Consciousness Prize, and the American Book Award. Punks is available for purchase at The Song Cave’s website.
Sean Sherman's Turtle Island Sold at Auction to Clarkson Potter and Penguin Canada
Oglala Lakota chef Sean Sherman has selected Francis Lam at Clarkson Potter to publish Turtle Island: The Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America, a look at the foodways of the numerous tribes and First Nations of what is now the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The book will feature cooks, farmers, seed savers, and artisans who have kept these traditions alive and are powering a revival of pre-colonial Indigenous food culture. Including some 200 ancestral and modern recipes, Turtle Island represents a collaboration between Sherman, Native food sovereignty scholar Elizabeth Hoover, and food writer Kristin Donnelly. In a separate auction, Penguin Canada acquired the rights to publish the book’s Canadian edition.
Edward McClelland's Abraham Lincoln book sold to Pegasus
Journalist and historian Edward McClelland has reached an agreement with Pegasus to write Chorus of the Union: How Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas Set Aside Their Rivalry to Save the Nation. The book will explore Lincoln’s long contest and eventual alliance with Stephen Douglas, highlighting the role that graceful concession serves in the electoral process, and also challenging the “great man” theory that attends Lincoln’s legend, investigating his complicated views on race and slavery, as well as the outsized role that his Illinois origins played in his rise, the state being (then as now) a microcosm of the nation, and the crucible of the slavery debate.
