Quill and Quire

COVID-19

« Back to Omni
Articles

Lefty publishers form the international Radical Publishers Alliance, launching with an online book fair

Radical MayA group of socially progressive independent publishers has formed a new coalition to help support each other during the COVID-19 crisis.

The Radical Publishers Alliance, which includes Canadian publishers Between the Lines and Fernwood Publishing, was initiated so that the left-leaning presses can share and collaborate on online promotions and author events, and to maintain an online hub for readers to discover new titles. The list of participating publishers – many of whom are offering discounts – is available on the Left Book Club website.

The alliance’s first project is #RadicalMay, an online book fair featuring multilingual panel discussions, talks, and teach-ins with authors from 50 publishers originating from 11 regions, including the U.S., U.K., Canada, France, Spain, Catalonia, Basque Country, Italy, Germany, Argentina, and Indonesia. The month-long event, which kicks off May 1, is a partnership with LITERAL, an annual festival of books and ideas that’s held annually in Barcelona.

The first Canadian author to appear is Susan Ferguson (May 1 at 2 p.m. EST), whose book Women and Work: Feminism, Labour, and Social Reproduction is co-published by Pluto and Between the Lines. Other Canadians include Pam Palmater, David Camfield, Jen Gobby, James Wilt, Max Haiven, and Phanuel Antwi.

In a press release, the Radical Publishers Alliance states, “In this moment of crisis, the need for critical left thinking is more urgent than ever. Our aim is to lift up the voices challenging our broken social and economic systems and to come together around radical ideas for a more just and equitable world. By supporting fellow left publishing houses during this dark time, we hope to emerge from the crisis intact and more organized for the long fight against capitalism still ahead of us.”

By:

April 29th, 2020

1:01 pm

Category: COVID-19

Tags: ,