By William Swift, Elizabeth Haslam, Priyanka Joshi and Jess Fisher
Renard Press, established in 2020, stands as a beacon of diversity and innovation in the publishing landscape. As a champion of marginalised voices, it has quickly risen to prominence with its extensive catalogue covering fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Notably, Renard Press was honoured as a Small Press of the Year Regional Finalist in the British Book Awards 2024, highlighting its impact and recognition within the industry.
Beyond accolades, Renard Press takes pride in its commitment to its environmental responsibility, proudly declaring itself one of the UK’s few climate-positive publishers. This means it actively works to remove more carbon from the air than it emits, embodying a dedication to sustainability that aligns with their ethos of social responsibility and forward-thinking publishing practices.
New Releases
From the East by John Greening
From legendary poet John Greening comes his latest quartet, speaking to the English countryside that has dominated his career’s focus. These sixty fifteen-line stanzas capture a dialogue between the author and his chosen homeland. Huntingdonshire, a county that does not exist – through a technical lens – is blessed by Greening, who has endowed the landscape with four mirage-like contemplative collections. Releasing these collections on average once a decade, readers can embrace the day-to-day, journal-like voice of Greening’s work in the hopes that it will sustain them through the anticipated hiatus.
One Woman Crime Wave by Bee Rowlatt
With a release date of April 24th, this novel is hot off the press and already highly praised. Ashleigh, the One Woman Crime Wave herself, takes the reader to the secretive, troublemaking mind of a fifteen-year-old babysitter. No matter how charming and bright Ashleigh may seem, this leading lady will capture the attention of thriller-and-suspense readers. This novel, exploring themes of middle-class privilege and the dangerous currents beneath the ‘perfect community,’ brings to the table the perspective of a young adult who embodies this complex tension. The use of an adolescent to expose community secrets makes Rowlatt’s novel both ground-breaking and traditionally immersive.
The Decorative Arts by William Morris
This month Renard Press released the second title in their William Morris manifesto collection, The Decorative Arts. Renard Press, while simultaneously releasing original titles, has made an immense effort to gather and re-release titles that would otherwise be overlooked. The Decorative Arts collects Morris, as well as contributing writer/architect Phillip Webb, in a socialist compendium not to be missed. The re-discovery of William Morris’ political works, and leading socialist theories, is a bold effort from an indie press to contribute meaningful and radical texts that have historically been marginalised or repressed. With The Decorative Arts, Renard Press has released another historic work that has been in dire need of a dust-off and reprinting.
Notable Releases
The Fir Tree by Hans Christian Andersen, translated by Susannah Mary Paull
First published in 1844, this short story revolves around a tree who is so focused on growing up that it is unable to appreciate day-to-day life in the present. Following the fir tree from its early years to the day it is to be cut down and used as a Christmas tree, the story explores nature and the importance of living in the current moment.
The story is part of the Renard Christmas Card series, which encourages people to send a short book to their loved ones instead of a disposable Christmas card, with 25% RRP (recommended retail price) of each book sold going to charity. In this case, the chosen charity was Three Peas, an organisation dedicated to supporting people who have had to flee from war or persecution and are seeking refuge or asylum in Europe.
This Good Book by Iain Hood
“Sometimes I wonder, if I had known that it was going to take me fourteen years to paint this painting of the Crucifixion with Douglas as Jesus, and what it would take for me to paint this painting, would I have been as happy as I was then?” – Iain Hood, This Good Book
Described as an original, dark, thrilling and psychotic piece of fiction, Iain Hood’s debut novel revolves around two main characters: Claire, a Glasgow School of Art graduate who becomes obsessed with the notion of creating “good” art, and Douglas, the centre point of her painting. 1980s Glasgow comes to life in this richly dark novel as it explores the notion of creating art and one’s moral compass. Hood has since published two more stories with Renard Press: My Book of Revelations and Every Trick in the Book.
In the Moss by Emma Zadow
Emma Zadow’s story explores the increasing levels of unemployment and simmering racial tension in Moss Side, Manchester, that led to a series of explosive mass riots in July 1981, after the siege of a police station. Told from the perspectives of a student A&E worker and Sikh police officer, this pair are forced to work together when a teenage boy is stabbed after violence breaks out.