“Socialism is not a dirty word anymore and we’re happy to be a socialist publisher,” says Haymarket editor Julie Fain.
Over the last fifteen years, Haymarket Books has seen the tides of political thinking change, beginning in an era where a hint of socialism would instantly ignite rage and fear, to our current election cycle with Bernie Sanders unapologetically running for the Presidential nomination as a Demo
cratic Socialist. On July 7, Foreword Reviews to talk about Haymarket’s work over the last fifteen years, and where they’re going.
Haymarket has seen a surge of interest as progressive movements have gained momentum in the U.S. “People are more open to radical politics, questions of race and gender and criminal justice are on the table like they have never been at least in a generation,” says Fain.
“To publish at Haymarket, a book has to speak to people who are doing something to change society,” says Fain. Haymarket publishes all genres, from social theory to poetry, novels, and even children’s books.
Following their increase in s
ales, Haymarket is trying to intentionally direct their growth. One book playing a key role in their strategy is The BreakBeat Poets: New American Poetry in the Age of Hip-Hop. Fain says, “It’s a really great way of reaching young people, reaching a wider audience, reaching people who are doing important cultural work.”
Always speaking to the times, Haymarket has two titles that are hitting many required reading lists for Black Lives Matter: Freedom is a Constant Struggle by Angela Davis and From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor.
Looking ahead to more groundbreaking, question-posing titles, Haymarket has two books coming out by award-winning writer Arundhati Roy. Things that Can and Cannot Be Said, which she wrote in collaboration with John Cusack, documents their journey to meet Edward Snowden and the conversations that followed. It will be available starting October 4, 2016. Her collection of essays The End of Imagination will be available August 16, 2016, where for the first time ever, five of her books of essays will be bound together in one volume. We can’t wait to see these books on your shelves and in the streets.