Well, first and foremost: MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone! We hope you are having a lovely festive season. Some of you may be without water or electricity due to the recent weather emergencies; some may be affected by the emotional overload these holidays bring; others may be struggling for a million different reasons. Let’s seize this opportunity to take a moment and reflect on how things could be worse; let’s appreciate what we do have, and should not take for granted. Whether it’s a roof over our heads, a cup of hot coffee, a change of clean clothes, a snuggly puppy, or dear ones to hug.
Never a dull moment here at Blackwater Press; in fact, we have some super exciting news to share with you.
Our little independent press has just been awarded the Small Business Investment Grant by the Mayor of Charleston, West Virginia! More than seventy small businesses applied and we are beyond thrilled that we were among those selected for our contribution to “economy, culture, and character – while also providing unique experiences and fostering relationships within our community,” in Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin’s words. As a small business, this really gets us dreaming of new horizons and possibilities. We already have a plan, and we cannot wait to put it into action!
To help us out and to learn about publishing from the inside, from January 8 we’ll have an intern, Ryann Province. Let’s all give her a virtual round of applause! Ryann is a freshman majoring in creative writing and video production. This internship has been possible thanks to our recent partnership with Marshall University (Huntington, WV), to whom we are very grateful.
To add to the excitement, we are very proud to be the press that publishes Joseph Horowitz’s first novel: The Marriage: The Mahlers in New York. Horowitz is an award-winning cultural historian and author of several monographs and books about music, as well as being a concert producer and radio broadcaster – and more. Read all about his novel in his own words.
This is the final newsletter of the year, and after a very productive year and a steep (if rewarding) learning curve for us all on several levels, we are so looking forward to next year’s titles:
The Girl with Twenty Fingers by Kate Mueser
Mission to Madagascar by David H. Mould
Lips That Touch by Zoë Strachan
A People Without Shame by Patrick Colm Hogan
The Boy from Nowhere by Richard Robison
Anangokaa by Cameron Alam
The Marriage by Joseph Horowitz
The Flounder by John Fulton
Guilt by Carter Taylor Seaton
Symbiosis by Milagros Lasarte
Three Lives of St Ciarán by Inés Gregori Labarta
While Dragging Our Hearts Behind Us by Boni Thompson
The Medicament Report by Eric Percak
Aaaaand that’s a wrap! We hope you enjoy the rest of the Christmas holidays…see you in 2023! Our warmest wishes for a happy new year when it comes.