Spotlight On: The Indigo Press
By Zoe Maple and Mollie Gregory-Clark
One independent publishing house dedicated to shifting perspectives and driving social change is The Indigo Press, based in London. Founded in 2018 by Publisher and Editing Commissioner, Susie Nicklin, The Indigo Press aims to publish books that capture the spirit of internationalism with a focus on feminism and social justice, encouraging its readers to “see the world afresh, question their behaviour and beliefs and imagine a better future.”
Susie Nicklin has launched numerous international literary partnerships and events throughout her career, including the direction and production of ten literary festivals. Now heading The Indigo Press, Nicklin has created a publishing home for talented and award-winning authors, with a varied backlist covering contemporary fiction, non-fiction, critical essays and short stories, where its upcoming releases leave this publishing house as one to watch.
Upcoming Releases
Banzeiro Òkòtó: The Amazon as the Centre of the World by Eliane Brum, translated by Diane Whitty
In light of the climate emergency, we’re currently facing and the mass-destruction of the rainforest which is vital for human and non-human life alike, Eliane Brum’s book is a powerful and lyrical call to action. Recounting her move from São Paulo to Altamira, a city along the Xingu River which has been devastated by the construction of one of the largest dams in the world, Brum explains how she seeks to “reforest” herself, while building relationships with forest peoples who carry both the scars and the resistance of the forest within them. She highlights how instrumental the Amazon is to our continued survival, revealing the power the rainforest holds in regulating our climate, and the consequences we might face if we fail to respect it. Coming 9 March 2023.
Pearl by Siân Hughes
Marriane’s family has been irreversibly fractured ever since her mother disappeared when she was only eight years old. As she grows up, Marriane struggles to adjust to her mother’s absence. She is haunted by fleeting memories of her mother’s love, her childhood home is beginning to crumble and she can’t shake the sneaking suspicion that her father has been keeping secrets from her. But when she comes across a medieval poem 'Pearl,' which explores the themes of loss and consolation, she becomes enamoured with it and sets out to make a visual illustration of it. Both witty and compelling, Pearl is a story about how we turn to art for comfort and the ways it can help us to heal. Coming 11 May 2023.
Between Dog and Wolf by Kristina Gorcheva-Newberry
There are times when it is hard to distinguish between right and wrong, between the known and the unknown. Times, like twilight, when one state has ended but another has not quite begun. This is the hour between dog and wolf. Coming of age during the turbulence of 1980s Russia, Anya, Milka, Petya and Aleksey yearn for the lives of their Western counterparts – for a world of Levi’s, the Queen, foreign travel and the freedom to choose their fates – but instead are met with heartbreak and tragedy. Yet in spite of their hardships, the teenagers learn to harness the power of love and friendship in the face of brutality and desperation. Coming 19 October 2023.
Notable Releases
Silence Is My Mother Tongue by Sulaiman Addonia
Touching on his personal experiences living in a refugee camp, Sulaiman Addonia tells the story of a teenage girl, Saba, and her life living in an East African refugee camp. Devasted to leave her home and life as she knew it, Saba finds herself most painfully wretched from her school, books and dreams of a future beyond traditional women’s roles. Fiercely protective of her younger mute brother, Hagos, Addonia presents us with a tale questioning gender roles, identity and what it means for an individual to thrive when all that makes a home and a future is lost.
Lessons in Love and Other Crimes by Elizabeth Chakrabarty
Described as a blend of genre fiction and memoir, we highly recommend adding Lessons in Love and Other Crimes to your bookshelves. After being subjected to a series of hate crimes, Tesya is hopeful to return home to London to start a new lecturer position. Looking for love and acceptance, Telsa devastatingly finds her high hopes wavered when she becomes the victim of an insidious race hate crime by an unknown assailant. Gripping, thought-provoking and passionate, Elizabeth Chakrabarty takes inspiration from her experiences of racism, bringing us this heart-breaking yet hopeful novel evoking meaningful discussions of racism and microaggressions.
Yes Yes More More by Anna Wood
Filled with wit and warmth, Anna Wood brings us her debut collection of short stories with Yes Yes More More enriched by the clever interlinking of each story. Where two girls take acid before their English class, an afterparty turns into a crime scene and a woman flees to New Orleans; amongst ten other tales, this collection takes the reader on a comedic and giddy ride, entangled with delights and regrets.