The mass market edition of HIGH STAKES debuted at #1 on The New York Times Mass Market bestseller list for February 2023.

Maggie Millner’s debut poetry collection COUPLETS: A LOVE STORY has enjoyed a firestorm of wonderful press since its release. A fantastic review from Kamran Javadizadeh for The New Yorker raves: “In COUPLETS, Maggie Millner uses rhyme, confession, and surprising metaphor to create a fresh portrait of desire…Millner’s ultimate achievement is to draw open the distance between the book’s first line and its ostensibly identical second, between the self that one takes as given and the self, no less true, that one cannot help but make.” The book was featured on The New York Times’ Editors’ Choice list this week, and called out by poetry editor Gregory Cowles: “If you’re on the hunt for a good book to reset your own brain, might I suggest Maggie Millner’s COUPLETS: A LOVE STORY? It’s a story of romantic attachment and romantic betrayal told almost entirely in rhymed couplets, and it’s a balancing act of such sly virtuosity that it may give you vertigo.” Meanwhile, for The New York Times Book Review, Adrienne Raphel writes: “Maggie Millner’s first book, COUPLETS, breathes new life into an old form to tell the story of a romance that catches its heroine off guard.” A review by Kristen Millares Young for The Washington Post praises: “While unmasking the ‘long and torturous’ journey that self-knowledge requires, Millner delights in the small pivots and grooves afforded by strict verse. Even the line breaks provide fractals of the fractured themes of longing, grief, hope and passion. Restless, imaginative and daring, COUPLETS advances the canon of the erotic.” Lastly, a review by Ana Cecilia Alvarez for The Los Angeles Review of Books raves: “With Millner’s well-attuned sense of metaphor, we know we are in good hands. Her verse is neat and supple…This gentle refusal of subjectivity is etched into the book’s own form: something of a novel, something of a collection of poems, and something of a memoir.” Farrar, Straus & Giroux published COUPLETS on February 7, 2023.

Erica Berry’s inaugural work of nonfiction, WOLFISH, launched in the US to great press. The Guardian ran an excerpt, with Lit Hub, The Rumpus, and AM Northwest/KATU-AM following with interviews with the author. A review from Lorraine Berry for The Star Tribune raves: “[Berry] elucidates the myths and stories we tell about our lupine fears in ferocious and beautiful writing. Like the traveling wolf in search of companionship, Berry ranges far and wide, taking readers along on her own journey — Oregon, the United Kingdom, Italy, the northern United States — in search of answers.” Elsewhere, WOLFISH received positive reviews and mentions from The Boston Globe, Slate, and more. Flatiron Books published WOLFISH in the US on February 21, 2023, and Canongate Books will publish the book on March 2, 2023.

Isle McElroy’s sophomore novel PEOPLE COLLIDE enjoyed a beautiful cover reveal from Electric Literature. The article praises: “PEOPLE COLLIDE is rich and rewarding, a tender portrayal of ambition, sacrifice, desire and loss, and shared lives and bodies. It shines a refreshing light on everything we thought we knew about love, sexuality, and the truth of who we really are.” McElroy also spoke with the outlet about the interplay between the cover art and their own artistic vision for the novel: “My editor Rakesh Satyal originally sent four cover options. I knew immediately which one I wanted. While the other options were great, this was the cover that truly embodied People Collide. The designer, Stephen Brayda, and I went through a few rounds of revisions before landing on the version seen here… Over the process of choosing a cover, I discovered something about my book that I hadn’t previously been able to articulate. The hand reaching out of the border, for instance, reveals the novel’s deeper anxiety about partnership. Even as these two figures are so intimately embraced, one hand appears to be testing out an escape. To paraphrase Newton: for every collision, there is an equal and opposite separation. It was my curiosity about this emotional space—the action and the reaction—that drove me to write PEOPLE COLLIDE.” HarperVia will publish the book on September 19, 2023.

STRANGERS TO OURSELVES by Rachel Aviv was shortlisted for the 2023 Anthony Lukas Prize, which was established in 1998 to honor "the best in American nonfiction writing.” Finalists and winners will be announced on March 21, and the awards will be presented at a ceremony at Columbia Journalism School on May 3. FSG published the book on September 13, 2023.

DECENT PEOPLE by De’Shawn Charles Winslow received a starred review from Shelf Awareness. Reviewer Nell Beram writes: “As far as endearing, small-town amateur elder sleuths go, Agatha Christie's Miss Marple has some competition in Josephine ‘Jo’ Wright, who features in De'Shawn Charles Winslow's splendid second novel, DECENT PEOPLE, a mystery in which there's a lot more at stake than finding a murderer.” The book also received a great review from Jonathan Haupt for The Post and Courier, who raves: “[A] stellar sophomore novel…DECENT PEOPLE is a brilliantly threaded character-driven novel of fractured lives seeking a healing of the human spirit…DECENT PEOPLE further advances Winslow’s well-deserved reputation as a rising star in American literature with a novel that masterfully balances its themes of empathy and social justice with its structure as a small-town mystery page-turner.” DECENT PEOPLE was also featured on Garden & Gun’s list of “The Best New Books for Southerners in 2023.” Bloomsbury Publishing published the book on January 17, 2023.

SINK by Joseph Earl Thomas received a fantastic review from The New York Times. Reviewer Bryan Washington raves: "[P]recise and deeply thoughtful…Thomas really does accomplish the extraordinary. SINK is heavy. It’s a tough book to read. But it is honest. Thomas has constructed a sort of alchemy on the page, but one born of experience, from skill and from a trust about what will end up on the other side; a meticulous, careful construction…Thomas has earned a deep bow." Grand Central Publishing published the book on February 21, 2023.

AN IMMENSE WORLD by Ed Yong is a finalist for the 2023 PEN/E.O Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. The winner will be announced at the 2023 PEN American Literary Awards Ceremony on March 2 at 8pm at The Town Hall in New York City. Random House published AN IMMENSE WORLD on June 21, 2022.

DECENT PEOPLE by De'Shawn Charles Winslow continues to receive critical acclaim. The book received a wonderful review from the Historical Novel Society, where reviewer K. M. Sandrick praises: "DECENT PEOPLE instantly connects readers with West Mills in time and place. It resonates, capturing the individual rhythms and sounds as each character speaks in his or her own voice. It engages you, revealing the complexities of each character’s relationships and the choices he or she makes, and draws readers into a community they want to learn more about." Brooks Geiken of The Arts Fuse calls the novel “a hypnotic and politically-tinged tale of deception and murder,” adding: “DECENT PEOPLE is a fine but sad book that tackles tough questions about racism and homophobia.” A review by Robert Hayes for The Wilmington Apple praises: “The author’s fondness for the comfort of a tiny town cocoon, along with his deep knowledge of the harm perpetrated by its lack of privacy, make this brilliant sociological mystery sophomore effort almost as fine as his debut novel, IN WEST MILLS.” A review by D.G. Martin for North Carolina’s Chapelboro writes: “DECENT PEOPLE assures Winslow a place in the pantheon of great Southern writers. Lastly, Winslow was interviewed for Essence, Queerty, and South Florida Gay News. Bloomsbury Publishing published DECENT PEOPLE on January 17, 2023.

WE ARE A HAUNTING by Tyriek White received a fantastic starred review from Publishers Weekly. The reviewer calls the book a “poignant and poetic debut,” adding: “Each character is acutely aware of the weight of their forebears, which White uses to effectively tell a story that is both intimate and sweeping…White works wonders with this inspired story of grief and the struggle for hope.” Astra House will publish the book on April 25, 2023.

Monica Brashears’ HOUSE OF COTTON received a wonderful review from Booklist. Reviewer Allison Escoto writes: "[S]tartling, vivid, and impressive...Brashears has written a lush, pictorial, and often steamy novel with an indelible heroine. Coupling classic gothic elements with a realistic portrayal of the issues facing a young, poor, Black woman with few options, the novel’s many strengths culminate in a powerful and original story that will appeal to a variety of readers across fiction genres." Flatiron Books will publish HOUSE OF COTTON on April 4, 2023.

TAKE WHAT YOU NEED by Idra Novey received a fantastic starred review from Booklist. Reviewer Carol Haggas writes: "Novey explores the mysteries of the creative process, the precariousness of family, and the inherent biases toward unconventional behavior. Novey’s richly complex third novel shows not only a nuanced appreciation for the artistic process but also places such creativity within the toxic distrust sewn by poverty, misogyny, and xenophobia…Novey has constructed a cantankerous character whose artistic passion, fierce independence, and fragile emotional state make her impossible to forget." Viking will publish the novel on March 14, 2023.