Category Archives: Bookslinger App

by | December 8, 2015 · 10:00 am

Françoise Mouly of TOON Books is a Comic Book Hero

FrancoiseMouly1

Credit: Eleanor Davis

 

Françoise Mouly is one brilliant woman. She’s been on a roll since founding TOON Books in 2008, and now she’s received the Smithsonian’s “Ingenuity Award” for her work in education! On November 12, Jeff MacGregor for Smithsonian online interviewed Mouly about her “comic book hero” image, and she shared her inspiration for the press and her brilliant understanding of children.

The idea for TOON Books sprung out of Mouly’s experiences learning English (she’s a native French speaker) and when she became a mother, she realized how beneficial comics are when you are learning a language: “it’s almost like sketching out language for you. . . . Reading is making meaning out of squiggles, but the thing with comics is that no one has ever had to teach a child how to find Waldo.” Though the big houses rejected her queries to create high-quality and smart comics, Mouly persevered and eventually TOON Books was created. Now, Mouly is glad that she’s not attached to a large press, because she has the freedom to “make books happen without having to explain and justify.”

The key to Mouly’s success as a publisher is her keen insight into the minds of children and her respect for their learning styles and interests. Specifically, their natural penchant for re-reading books: “Kids naturally want you to read them the same book every single night. . . . they get something different every time. . . .The ambition is not to make something that will want to be read, but to make something that can be reread.”

The Smithsonian interview calls Mouly a “transformative figure in the history of comics,” partTOONBooksLogoly because she has made it okay for teachers to use comics in the classroom, and because she has melted away the stigma against comics. TOON Books is simply a work of love for Mouly, especially because she gets to work with her husband, artist Art Spiegelman: “most people are asked to separate their private lives from their work lives. I am so privileged that my work life is what I love and I love what I do in my work.” Even though Mouly modestly refuses to call herself a hero, she certainly is one in the eyes of many.

 

 

Leave a comment

Filed under Bookslinger App, Our Publishers

Tagged as , ,

by | December 2, 2015 · 3:09 pm

Deep Vellum Publishing is Opening a Bookstore!

When you think of Ddeep-vellum-logoallas, do you think of it as the art and literary hub of Texas? If not, look to Will Evans and his press Deep Vellum Publishing (founded in 2013), because he’s opening a bookstore which he hopes will be that hub. The Dallas Morning News (November 19) and Central Track (November 10) took a look at Evans’ hopes for this latest venture.

Under the name Deep Vellum Books, Evans plans to only stock titles from indie presses and literary magazines, according to Central Track. The 900 square foot space will house 2,000 to 3,000 titles, and it focus mainly on translations. The goal of the store itself is to “be the kind of place for things you can’t get anywhere else in the city,” Evans told the Dallas Morning News.

Evans wants the store to “be a catalyst for the entire neighborhood. . . Dallas is going to become a world-class city, beginning with this space.” In the Central Track article, Evans shared his hopes for the store to become a space for the “intermingling of all the arts,” awill_evans2 cultural hub that’s open every night of the week, with different non-profit programming each night. There will be a stage for readings or music shows, and a small bar will also serve coffee and wine.

Evans told Central Track: “it will be a place to come and buy books, to have a cup of coffee or beer, to chill for a minute, to have a meeting with a friend, to see a show or what have you.” However, don’t plan on setting up your home office at Deep Vellum Books, because Evans might kick you off the wi-fi.

Deep Vellum Books is officially launching on December 9th, with a housewarming party/bookstore launch happening from 6pm-8pm at their new digs at 3000 Commerce Street. Thanks to the energetic and innovative Will Evans, Deep Vellum Books is an exciting and innovative venture. Welcome to Dallas’ literary hub.

Leave a comment

Filed under Bookslinger App, Our Publishers

Tagged as , , , ,

by | November 24, 2015 · 11:41 am

Here’s to Coach House Books!

There must be a coFifteenDogsnstant party atmosphere at the office of Coach House Books in Toronto: they’re celebrating their 50th anniversary, and one of their titles, Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis, won the 2015 Scotiabank Giller Prize! The Giller Prize is the Canadian equivalent to the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in the U.S., so obviously everyone at Coach House Books is over the moon. Alexis received $100,000 at a black-tie ceremony on November 10th, as well as the opportunity to attend a two-week residency program at Leighton Artists’ Colony in Banff, Alberta, courtesy of the Banff Centre.

Both the shortlist (which included two titles from Biblioasis, Martin John and Arvida) and the winner were chosen by a five-member jury panel. Their statement about Fifteen Dogs makes it clear why it was chosen: “it’s a novel filled with balancing acts: humor juxtaposed with savagery, solitude with the desperate need to be part of a pack, perceptive prose interspersed with playful poetry. A wonderful and original piece of writing that challenges the reader to examine their own existence and recall the age-old question, what’s the meaning of life?”

In addition to the 2015 Giller Prize, Fifteen Dogs won the 2015 Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize and was a finalist for the 2015 Toronto Book Awards. Though the Giller Prize marks the most prestigious award a Coach House Books author has received, the press has also received numerous awards and nominations.

It all began in 1965, when typesetter Stan Bevington rented an old coach house and joined forces with Dennis Reid to print a book of poetry by Wayne Clifford. Since then, Coach House Books has remained one of the few presses that still prints their books in-house. This allows them to put just as much focus and attention on the quality and construction of the physical books as they do on the stories themselves. They have a diverse collection of titles, featuring innovative fiction, poetry, film and drama, and non-fiction. Check out this radio documentary they put together to hear the “voices behind the books.”

Congratulations to André Alexis and Coach House Books on their win, and here’s to the next 50 years!

 

 

 

 

Leave a comment

Filed under Bookslinger App, Our Publishers

Tagged as , , ,

by | November 19, 2015 · 1:08 pm

Books to Make Sense of Paris

129 fatalities. 368 wounded. A city of 2.24 million. And shock waves of pain and fear that are impossible to number.

In this confusion, what we can do as a book distributor is simply offer up six books that give a bit of perspective. The first four inform you about terrorism, the global narrative surrounding it, its history, and modern opinions. The last two titles are purely about Paris, and we think that’s important—to be reminded of the deep intimacies of this city and its people within this tragedy. In the words of Walt Whitman to Paris, “And I send these words to Paris with my love/…I will yet sing a song for you, Ma Femme.”

Syria SSyriaSpeakspeaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline, by Malu Halasa and Zaher Omareen, published by Saqi Books, highlights the artists of Syria who combat  the culture of violence through their work. The anthology features poetry, illustrations, photographs, and stories that shed light on the individuals striving to make a difference.  NoNonsenseGuideToTerrorism

The No-Nonsense Guide to Global Terrorism by Jonathan Barker, published by New Internationalist, is an accessible analysis of terrorism and its history. The book uses examples from the Middle East, state terrorism, and political terrorism to look at the causes of terrorism and possible ways to combat it.

EnoughBloodShedPublished by New Society Publishers, Enough Blood Shed: 101 Solutions to Violence, Terror and War by Mary-Wynne Ashford and Guy Dauncey is told in two parts, with the first half of the book describing the culture of violence that terrorism creates, and the second half offering possible solutions. Though heavy in subject matter, the hopeful tone shows that change is possible. PiratesAndEmperors

Pirates and Emperors, Old and New: International Terrorism in the Real World by Noam Chomsky and published by Haymarket Books  offers a crash course in the many forms terrorism can take. Using the United States’ role in the Middle East as the main example, Chomsky shows how terrorism can be stopped by understanding these different forms.

Paris by ParisJulian Green and published by Marion Boyars Publishers Ltd takes readers through the romantic and winding streets of Paris. Like a love-note to the city, Paris is a literary portrait illustrated with Green’s photographs that shows readers just how special Paris really is.750YearsInParis

750 Years in Paris by Vincent Mahé, published by NoBrow Press, is a literary graphic novel that focuses on just one building in Paris through the progression of history, starting in the thirteenth century. The book shows how drastically things can change in an instant, and also celebrates the enduring nature of Paris itself.

 

Leave a comment

Filed under Bookslinger App, Our Publishers

Tagged as , , , , ,

by | November 17, 2015 · 10:18 am

Literary Hub Features the Origins of Favorite Indie Presses

You just might have your favorite indie presses, but do you know their origin stories? Thanks to Literary Hub’s article on November 10, you can take a peek into the history of 21 presses, including Akashic Books, Coffee House Press, Copper Canyon Press, and Sarabande Books.

Akashic BoGoToSleepoks (eighteen years old) was originally an indie record label. As a change of pace, the three cofounders published  Arthur Nersesian’s novel The Fuck-Up. It was extremely succesful—it sold through three print runs—and paved the way for future successes. Check out Go the Fuck to Sleep, by Adam Mansbach and Ricardo Cortes, another one of Akashic’s biggest sellers: “we seem to do very well when we have the word ‘fuck’ in our book titles,” said managing editor Johanna Ingalls.

Coffee House Press, (forty-four years old), was originally launched as ToothpasteUprightBeasts Press after founder Alan Kornblum’s Toothpaste Magazine. The press’ first title, Tilt, was a mimeographed book and written by Kornblum’s pinball friend Dave Morice. For a recent Coffee House Press title, check out Upright Beasts by Lincoln Michel, a short story collection “full of monstrous surprises and eerie silences” according to Vanity Fair.

Copper DivinitySchoolCanyon Press (forty-two years old) first published Badlands, a poetry collection from Gerald Costanzo. The collected launched Copper Canyon Press and created their precedence of publishing extraordinary poetry. Check out Divinity School by Alicia Jo Rabins and C.D. Wright while you wait for Copper Canyon’s release of Then Come Back: The Lost Neruda, by Pablo Neruda and translated by Forrest Gander.

Sarabande Books (almost ten years old) published their first book in 1996, The Lord aSmotend the General Din of the World, by Jane Mead, which they found through their literary contest, the Kathryn A. Morton Poetry Prize. Publisher and founding editor Sarah Gorham said the book encompasses the press’ values: “the language was gorgeous and searingly honest. That fit nicely inside the idea of a Sarabande: elegant surface with a wild underside.” Read Smote by James Kimbrell for a taste of Sarabande Books’ current poetry aesthetic.

 

Leave a comment

Filed under Bookslinger App, Our Publishers

Tagged as , , , ,