This could have been the year we slept right through our anniversary. Who would have blamed us given the daily onslaught of bad news and all of the extra precautions required just to go to the store?
In March we announced the winners of the first Awst Press Book Prize and prepared for AWP in San Antonio. We were ready to kick off a big year with new book announcements and events. With AWP practically in our backyard, we were excited for a big celebration—especially with the arrival of Erin Pringle's Hezada! I Miss You.
And yet. That was not to be.
While we missed the crowds and book fair foot traffic at AWP, we were happy for the time and space to have long, meaningful conversations with the writers and editors who came by. And though we’ve postponed a few of our up-coming titles in response to the limitations of Covid, we couldn’t be happier about the books that you’ll see from us soon. In addition to the contest winners, we decided to publish three additional entrants to the contest. You can look forward to books by Brian Phillip Whalen - Semiotic Love [Stories] (February 2021), Andrew Yoon - We Are Invited to Climb, Edward M. Cohen - Before Stonewall, Anne Ray - Scenic Overlook; Mike Ingram - Notes from The Road; and Marcelle Heath - Is That All There Is?. A third book by Donald Quist, To Those Bounded, is also on the horizon, and we’re honored to be able to continue working with him.
In addition to continued sales of our latest title, Hezada, we saw renewed interest in Donald Quist's Harbors, which tackles the topics of racism and growing up Black in America. With the increased visibility of the Black Lives Matter movement, many Americans are rethinking racism, the role of institutions, and well... everything else. George Floyd's murder in particular reminds us of Ferguson, MO, which was playing out in the background as Awst Press started up in 2014. This is an important time for us to check in and ask if we’ve made the progress we set out to do. Have we made any progress? It is clear that however far we’ve come, we have a long way to go as individuals, as a press, and as a community.
These slow, deliberate steps don't always feel fruitful as we are making them, especially as we watch inequality play out in the news day after day. Even so, we are bolstered by the public outcry for change and for the continued support of our readers.
Onward and upward for yet another year. Stay tuned for our annual essay series starting next week.
Wendy M. Walker & Tatiana Ryckman