David Goodwillie’s second novel, KINGS COUNTY, has been short-listed for The Gotham Book Prize. The new annual award was “created to encourage and honor writing about New York City in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.” Avid Reader Press published the book on July 28, 2020.

Daniel Loedel’s stirring debut, HADES, ARGENTINA, continues to accumulate great coverage in the week following its publication, including a glowing review from The Economist. Loedel published an original essay in The Atlantic about his half-sister, Isabel, who was “disappeared” during Argentina’s Dirty War before Loedel was born, and who served as inspiration for his novel. Loedel was also featured in Poets & Writers’s “Writers Recommend” column, and he sat down for interviews with the Debutiful podcast and Interview Magazine. Loedel told Interview’s Christopher Bollen: “That feeling of being haunted by someone’s absence was one that I knew well and tapped into it in order to write this story. So the idea was really less a structural decision than a means of accessing what is emotionally true about living in the aftermath of a disappeared loved one.” Riverhead Books published the novel on January 12, 2021.

The LA Skirball Cultural Center will be launching an online exhibition based on TIGHTROPE by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn from January 31 through May 31. The exhibition will feature images by photojournalist Lynsey Addario, “[inviting] us to take an unflinching look at crises hiding in plain sight.” Kristof and WuDunn will participate in a free discussion and Q&A about the book and exhibition on January 26 at 9 PM ET. Vintage published the book on January 14, 2020.

Kiese Laymon’s HOW TO SLOWLY KILL YOURSELF AND OTHERS IN AMERICA is featured on St. Louis Magazine’s “10 Must-Reads for 2021.” They quote author Ron A. Austin, who writes: “[Laymon’s] voice is fire and iron and steel…I’m excited to see how the original and extended compare and how this project speaks to the power and practice of revision.” Scribner published the book on November 10, 2020.

The Chicago Tribune, BuzzFeed News, and Vulture feature Maggie Nelson's forthcoming ON FREEDOM on their lists of most anticipated books for 2021. The Chicago Tribune writes: “Fittingly, considering the five-alarm fire playing out every day in the country, it’s a good time for essayists, and Nelson is among the originals. The author of such influential works as THE ARGONAUTS and THE RED PARTS considers our obsession with the idea of freedom, from its capacity to thrill to its ability to disgust.” Graywolf Press will publish the book on September 7, 2021.

David Hoon Kim’s PARIS IS A PARTY, PARIS IS A GHOST is featured on Vulture’s “46 Books We Can’t Wait to Read in 2021.” They write: “This is the debut novel of American writer David Hoon Kim, who himself lived in Paris and studied at the Sorbonne. He writes a mean sentence.” Farrar, Straus, and Giroux will publish the book on August 3, 2021.

Dawnie Walton’s THE FINAL REVIVAL OF OPAL & NEV is featured on Book Riot's “10 Propulsive 2021 Books Everyone Will Be Talking About.” They write: "For readers who read and loved DAISY JONES AND THE SIX, and are looking for another book they’ll love just as much (if not more), THE FINAL REVIVAL OF OPAL & NEV could be just the answer…Dawnie Walton’s debut novel is doing its own thing, for sure, with a strong narrative voice and unforgettable characters." 37 Ink will publish the book on March 30, 2021.

Jamie Figueroa's debut novel BROTHER, SISTER, MOTHER, EXPLORER is featured on Bustle’s “Most Anticipated Debuts of 2021.” Catapult will publish the book on March 2, 2021.

CONCRETE ROSE, the prequel to Angie Thomas’s THE HATE U GIVE, has received four starred reviews. Publishers Weekly raves: “Thomas brings her trademark wit, nostalgic love of the 1990s and all things R&B and hip-hop, and her penchant for heartfelt characterization to this first-person exploration of Maverick Carter’s coming-of- age.” Booklist deems the book “a poignant prequel…that offers hope, encouragement, and optimism.” School Library Journal praises the “depth of humor and clarity that really allows readers to bond with the characters.” Kirkus calls it “a resounding success.” A favorite on various “Most Anticipated Books of 2021” lists, CONCRETE ROSE has been highlighted by Book Riot, Bustle, CNN, Entertainment Weekly, Essence, Forbes, PopSugar, Refinery29, TIME, USA Today, and The Washington Post. Angie was interviewed on CBS This Morning with Gayle King, and is the cover story of Kirkus Reviews’ January issue, as well as being included in various features for Entertainment Weekly, Goodreads, NPR’s Morning Edition, Shelf Awareness, Shondaland, The Week, Washington Post Live, and We Need Diverse Books. Balzer + Bray published the book on January 12, 2021.

Robert Jones Jr.’s debut novel THE PROPHETS is featured on numerous must-read lists for 2021, including Elle's “The 55 Most Anticipated Books of 2021” and The Millions’ “Most Anticipated: The Great First-Half 2021 Book Preview.” AP News writes that “THE PROHETS is a novel, but feels almost like poetry, with every word holding a weight and power that will continue to astound those who lose themselves in its pages,” while The Guardian compliments the narrative as possessing “a tremendous generosity of spirit; each character, slave and enslaver, ‘half-caste’ and overseer, is richly evoked, rendering the complexity of their desires and deprivations.” Jones Jr. was also interviewed by NPR, PEN Ten, and PopSugar. G.P. Putnam’s Sons published the book on January 5, 2021.