I’m a 30 years old photographer from Bucharest, Romania but I spent most of the last 3 years traveling in different countries of the world.

My father is a painter so since my childhood I was surrounded by colours. When I was 16, I discovered photography but, unfortunately, in the next years I couldn’t make a living with it, so I had to work in other fields, where I could earn a decent income. Traveling during vacations as a backpacker, in different parts of the world, made me discover the diversity of our planet. So when I was 27 I decided to quit my ordinary life in Bucharest and put all my efforts and savings into travel and photography.

Even though The Atlas of Beauty became very popular all around the world, I’m the same ordinary person, with the same backpack like 3 years ago, that loves to explore the unnoticed beauty which lies in people around us.

I see myself like a very normal woman, with ups and downs. I work hard for my dream, and, by chance, this dream is very appreciated by mass media. But there are millions of women in the world, that work even harder for their goals and maybe their activities don’t seem so spectacular from the outside. I hope I will have the chance to photograph some of them for the project, capturing their inner and outer beauty and showing them how special they are.

GIRLS OF THE WORLD

Mihaela Noroc

Suyi Davies Okungbowa is an award-winning Nigerian author of fantasy, science fiction and general speculative fiction. He has published various novels for adults, the latest of which is Son of the Storm (Orbit, 2021), first in the epic fantasy trilogy, The Nameless Republic (the second book in the series, Warrior of the Wind, is forthcoming in 2023). His debut novel. David Mogo, Godhunter (Abaddon, 2019) won the 2020 Nommo Award for Best Speculative Novel by an African.

Writing as Suyi Davies, he has also published works for younger audiences, such as Stranger Things: Lucas on the Line (Random House Kids, 2022) and Minecraft: The Haven Trials (Del Rey, 2021), and contributed to the instant #1 NYT bestselling anthology Black Boy Joy (Delacorte, 2020). His shorter works have appeared in various periodicals and anthologies, and have been nominated for various awards.

Okungbowa is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Ottawa in Ontario, where he currently lives. As a speaker and instructor, he has taught writing at the college level and spoken at various venues, institutionally and publicly. He earned his MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Arizona.

Newsletter

WARRIOR OF THE WIND

Suyi Davies Okungbowa

Georgie Collinson is an Anxiety Mindset Coach, hypnotherapist, and nutritionist and naturopath. As a recovering perfectionist and proud high-achiever, Georgie was once the prime example of high-functioning anxiety. Searching for answers, she finally discovered a lasting breakthrough for herself and her clients with a holistic mind-body approach that considers anxiety and stress from the thoughts you think, the food you eat, your gut health and your hormones to your lifestyle. This developed into The Anxiety Reset Method, and the successful online Anxiety Reset Program. Georgie is known for her vulnerable, honest and down-to-earth way of speaking about mental health.  She lives in Australia and works remotely online, coaching clients around the world.


Georgie Collinson

Melissa L. Sevigny’s BRAVE THE WILD RIVER: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon (WW Norton) has won the National Outdoor Book Award for History/Biography. The awards committee says: "In this brilliantly told story you are given a seat in the boat along with Clover and Jotter for a bit of canyon botany—and the ride of your life."

BRAVE THE WILD RIVER Is a National Outdoor Book Award Winner

Kirkus Reviews named Liana De la Rosa's ANA MARÍA AND THE FOX as a Best Romance Novel of 2023.

ANA MARÍA AND THE FOX voted one of the Best Romance Novels of 2023 by Kirkus

“Usually relegated to brief mentions in histories of the space race, the NASA program’s chimps take center stage here as Cusick draws on a mix of interviews and archival sources to present a vividly portrayed, meticulously researched picture of their strenuous training and experiences...All hail these pioneering primates!” 

Kirkus Gives THE ASTROCHIMPS a Starred Review

Publishers Weekly places COMPANY on its list of the top 20 "Best Fiction Books of 2023." They say: "Sanders’s revelatory debut collection offers a warts-and-all portrait of a Black extended family, set mainly in Washington, D.C., with stories retold and expanded upon from various family members’ perspectives. Each character feels deeply human as they navigate what it means to be 'company' at one another’s homes and parties, and whether to expect a warm embrace or cold scrutiny."

COMPANY Named a "Best Fiction Book of 2023" by Publishers Weekly

"Company shows the frayed edges of friendship and family, and Sanders extracts comedy from the formidable situations that erupt in people’s lives — divorce, financial struggle, aging, death and childlessness. . . This book is for anyone bludgeoned by gnawing remarks from family members or friends. We all find ourselves in bad company on occasion, but the stakes are higher when those experiences happen with those we consider kin."

COMPANY reviewed in The Washington Post

"One of the great pleasures of Company— and there are many — is how some stories double back to retell an event or re-establish a family member from a different vantage point, deepening our understanding of, and investment in, the Collinses. . . Company is a deftly woven tapestry that scrupulously depicts familial ties and estrangement, richly told with a nuance that allows each character dignity and grace."

COMPANY reviewed in The New York Times Book Review

Melisssa L. Sevigny’s BRAVE THE WILD RIVER (Norton) has been longlisted for the 2024 Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. The shortlist will be announced on November 14. 

BRAVE THE WILD RIVER Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal

Vulture places Saul Austerlitz’s KIND OF A BIG DEAL (Dutton) on its list of "Best Comedy Books of 2023 (So Far)." They say: "It’s great to see [Anchorman] get the full, exhaustive, appreciative analysis and oral history, a treatment afforded to all iconic culture. Saul Austerlitz was the perfect author for the job.”

Vulture Names KIND OF A BIG DEAL a Best Comedy Book of 2023

The New York Times Book Review selected Keith Houston's EMPIRE OF THE SUM: The Rise and Reign of the Pocket Calculator (Norton) as an Editors’ Choice book. 

EMPIRE OF THE SUM Is a NYTBR Staff Pick

“Enthralling… A dark, bloody, trope-defying tale on the terrors of corruption and bigotry, and the daring hope that comes with friendship and found family… Like a punk, queer grown-up version of Stranger Things." 

AIPT Reviews LET ME OUT

“Urgent storytelling... delivering a riveting, relevant tale of terror, one that places emphasis on showing the power of found family and queer friendship… Oni Press' Let Me Out appears to be one of the most exciting releases left on the calendar for the year, arriving just in time for the scary season.”

Screen Rant Loves LET ME OUT

FRIZZY has been nominated for a 2023 Harvey Award for Best Children's or Young Adult Book.

FRIZZY Nominated for a Harvey Award

Matthew McConaughey's JUST BECAUSE debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list.

JUST BECAUSE is a #1 New York Times Bestseller

Publishers Weekly gave a starred review to Rebecca Boyle’s OUR MOON (Random House) and said: “An excellent exploration of how the moon has shaped life on Earth…. Boyle’s dexterous blend of science and cultural history is elevated by her spry prose. This illuminates.”

Publishers Weekly Gives OUR MOON a Starred Review

School Library Journal has named Debbie Tung’s EVERYTHING IS OK (Andrews McMeel) as one of “15 Visual Books to Help Students Grapple with Big Feelings.”  

School Library Journal Recognizes EVERYTHING IS OK

Brad Stulberg’s MASTER OF CHANGE (HarperOne) debuted on Publishers Weekly’s Hardcover Frontlist Nonfiction bestseller list at #18.

MASTER OF CHANGE is a Publishers Weekly Bestseller

Brad Stulberg’s MASTER OF CHANGE (HarperOne) debuted on USA Today’s Best-Selling Booklist at #106.

MASTER OF CHANGE is a USA Today Bestseller

Liana De la Rosa's ANA MARÍA AND THE FOX was named one of the Top 10 Romance Novels of 2023 by Booklist. 

Ana María and the Fox on Booklist's Top 10 Romance Novels of 2023

COMPANY has made the American Bookseller Association’s Indie Next List, which tallies support from indie booksellers across the country and promotes the top 20 books from all publishers released each month.

“Members of a big, multigenerational Black family — with branches bohemian and bourgeois — live vibrantly in this debut collection of fiction. Linked together in a glittering chain of language, their stories create a treasured heirloom.”
—James Crossley, Madison Books, Seattle, WA

COMPANY Named an October Indie Next Pick

The Boston Globe interviews Tori Anne Martin on her newly published novel, THIS SPELLS DISASTER.

The Boston Globe interviews Tori Anne Martin

Brad Stulberg’s guest essay, “Stop Resisting Change,” adapted from his new book, MASTER OF CHANGE: How to Excel When Everything Is Changing—Including You (HarperOne), appeared in the New York Times. 

Brad Stulberg in the New York Times

COMPANY Featured in Publishers Weekly's Preview "Big Indie Books of Fall 2023"

"Sanders’ remarkable, aptly titled short-story collection centers around a compelling Black family and the varied company it keeps...The characters throughout are expertly rendered and deeply relatable...Sanders’ stories are unforgettable, making this a strong and promising debut."

COMPANY Receives a Starred Review in Booklist

The New York Public Library's Vibrant Voices book list is created by the Library’s expert staff to amplify and celebrate diverse voices, promote discussion, and expand understanding. Presented by the Center for Educators and Schools. 

FRIZZY on NYPL Vibrant Voices List 2023

On how delusional thinking helped her write her debut novel IN THE LOBBY OF THE DREAM HOTEL

Genevieve Plunkett's essay "Fiction Is a Hallucination, Packaged for Public Consumption" in Electric Literature

Saul Austerlitz’s KIND OF A BIG DEAL (Dutton) is reviewed in the Los Angeles Times: “A wickedly sharp, discursive study of a movie that has cast a long shadow on 21st-century comedy.”

KIND OF A BIG DEAL Reviewed in the Los Angeles Times

Read an excerpt from Saul Austerlitz’s KIND OF A BIG DEAL (Dutton) in Vulture.

KIND OF A BIG DEAL excerpted in Vulture

Read an excerpt from Saul Austerlitz’s KIND OF A BIG DEAL (Dutton) in Vanity Fair. 

KIND OF A BIG DEAL excerpted in Vanity Fair

Melissa L. Sevigny’s BRAVE THE WILD RIVER (W.W. Norton) is featured in the August 28 issue ofThe New Yorker. “[Brave the Wild River] makes the case that Clover and Jotter’s study, conducted shortly after the construction of the Hoover Dam, provides a crucial benchmark in assessing human impact on the environment.”

BRAVE THE WILD RIVER Reviewed in The New Yorker

Alexander Nazaryan reviewed Keith Houston’s EMPIRE OF THE SUM (W.W. Norton) for the New York Times Book Review and said: “[Empire of the Sum] may not be erotica, but it is good writing—and these days the latter is rather more rare.” For the context of that quote, you’ll need to read the full review.

EMPIRE OF THE SUM Reviewed in the New York Times Book Review

"If a beach read is like eating a tasty little snack, reading Dykette was like huffing drugs: noxious and mildly euphoric."

Cosmopolitan Reviews DYKETTE

"[A] biting gay millennial comedy of manners..." 

DYKETTE in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted

The National Council for Social Studies established the Septima P. Clark Book Award for nonfiction trade books that accurately reflect women’s issues, perspectives, and stories (including expansive views of gender identity and expression). Named for educator and civil rights activist Septima Clark, books chosen for this honor must be thoroughly researched, well written, and indicate originality.

BESSIE THE MOTORCYCLE QUEEN Wins 2023 NCSS Septima B. Clark Book Award, Elementary Category

"Plunkett applies a soft touch when rendering minds in turmoil, offering both reader and character relief through the escapes of music, love and small-town landscape."—Wadzanai Mhute, The New York Times Book Review

The New York Times Reviews IN THE LOBBY OF THE DREAM HOTEL

IN THE LOBBY OF THE DREAM HOTEL has made the American Bookseller Association’s Indie Next List, which tallies support from indie booksellers across the country and promotes the top 20 books from all publishers released each month.

"In the Lobby of the Dream Hotel—a place two lovers who can't be together in the real world might meet—is a beautiful meditation on love, madness, motherhood, and art. Plunkett's writing is achingly gorgeous and Portia is a character for the ages”

—Stefanie Kiper, Water Street Bookstore, Exeter, NH

IN THE LOBBY OF THE DREAM HOTEL Named a September Indie Next Pick

“Sanders excels in this masterly debut collection about a Black extended family and their triumphs, problems, and secrets. . . . She also exhibits great care and love for them, describing their slights, heartaches, and misbehavior with exquisite emotional acuity. This is a winner.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

COMPANY Receives a Starred Review in Publishers Weekly

FRIZZY written by Claribel Ortega and illustrated by Rose Bousamra won the 2023 Eisner for Best Publication for Kids (9-12).

FRIZZY Wins an Eisner

Andrew Kolb’s OZ (Andrews McMeel) has been nominated for a 2023 Ennie Award for Best Art, Interior. Voting by the general public is from July 14 through July 23.

OZ Nominated for an Ennie Award

Melissa L. Sevigny’s BRAVE THE WILD RIVER (W.W. Norton) appears at #12 on the Mountains and Plains Indie Bestseller List for the week ending June 25, 2023. 

BRAVE THE WILD RIVER Celebrates Two Weeks as an Indie Bestseller

Library Journal has selected Ralph White’s GETTING OUT OF SAIGON (Simon & Schuster) as a Shining Star, one of the “Best History Books of the Year (So Far).”

GETTING OUT OF SAIGON is a Library Journal Shining Star

Kirkus Reviews has given a starred review to Saul Austerlitz’s KIND OF A BIG DEAL (Dutton), saying: “Austerlitz… assembles an impressive amount of research and reporting about the 2004 movie into an exhaustive, yet fast-paced text about how it was made and why.... This surprising history doesn’t just stay classy; it reveals how remarkably deep the Ferrell comedy really was."

KIND OF A BIG DEAL Receives a Starred Kirkus

"[A] perceptive debut novel . . . An incisive portrait of mental health and the search for autonomy." 

Publishers Weekly Reviews IN THE LOBBY OF THE DREAM HOTEL

"At the center of Sanders’s debut is the Collins family, whose members and acquaintances are the recurring cast of this collection’s 13 stories. In each story, a guest arrives at someone’s home—sometimes invited, sometimes unexpected—and some conflict emerges. It’s a great premise for a collection, as master short-fictioneer Deesha Philyaw can attest: 'Shannon Sanders’s stories simply blew me away.'"

COMPANY named a Most Anticipated Book by The Millions in their 2023 Preview

"Making key points while moving steadily toward the conclusion, the book's rhymed couplets vary in tone from lyrical visions to plainspoken truths. The same tones resonate through Wong’s graceful illustrations, which contrast smoggy, overcrowded cityscapes with peaceful scenes of rivers winding through idyllic landscapes filled with sunlight, warmth, and life. A captivating, persuasive picture book."

A Booklist Starred Review for IF THE RIVERS RUN FREE

PW interviews Shannon Sanders as one of their ten "Writers to Watch" with promising debut fiction coming out in Fall 2023. Her story collection, COMPANY, publishes in October with Graywolf Press.

Shannon Sanders named a Fall 2023 Writer to Watch in Publishers Weekly

Kirkus Reviews has named Ralph White’s GETTING OUT OF SAIGON (Simon & Schuster) to its list of “11 Guaranteed Page-Turners."

GETTING OUT OF SAIGON Is a Guaranteed Page-Turner

Melissa L. Sevigny’s BRAVE THE WILD RIVER (WW Norton) debuted at #9 on the Mountains and Plains Indie Bestseller List for the week ending June 11, 2023. 

BRAVE THE WILD RIVER Is an Indie Bestseller

Amazon has named Melissa L. Sevigny’s BRAVE THE WILD RIVER (WW Norton) as a Best Book of the Year (So Far) in the category of Biographies and Memoirs.

BRAVE THE WILD RIVER Is an Amazon Best Book of the Year (So Far)

Kirkus Reviews selected "10 Nonfiction Books to Broaden Your Summer Reading” and included Melissa L. Sevigny’s BRAVE THE WILD RIVER (Norton). 

Kirkus Recommends BRAVE THE WILD RIVER as a Summer Read

Rachel Zimmerman’s Washington Post article, “Dinner Parties and Vulnerability: How a New Generation Has Changed Grief,” features Mary-Frances O’Connor, PhD, and her book THE GRIEVING BRAIN (HarperOne). 

THE GRIEVING BRAIN featured in the Washington Post

The Rolling Stone joins the list of magazines who have fallen in love with DYKETTE. Rolling Stone names the novel one of the best queer novels out now. 

"If you’re an LGBTQ person who’s ever lived in Brooklyn, you’ll probably see yourself in this biting tale of two young queer couples who go upstate with an older lesbian couple."-The Rolling Stone

DYKETTE is One of The Rolling Stone's Favorite New Reads

The Chicago Tribune calls Saul Austerlitz’s KIND OF A BIG DEAL: How Anchorman Stayed Classy and Became the Most Iconic Comedy of the Twenty-First Century (Dutton) "a well-reported, if fawning making-of Anchorman that’s a more insightful history of the (now broken) comedy partnership of Will Ferrell and Adam McKay." 

KIND OF A BIG DEAL Is a Chicago Tribune “52 Books for Summer 2023"

The Boston Globe has included Saul Austerlitz’s KIND OF A BIG DEAL: How Anchorman Stayed Classy and Became the Most Iconic Comedy of the Twenty-First Century (Dutton) on its Best New Books for Summer 2023 list. 

KIND OF A BIG DEAL Is a Best New Book for Summer 2023

Neuroscientist Mary-Frances O’Connor gave a talk based on her book THE GRIEVING BRAIN: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss (HarperOne) to TEDxUArizona.

MARY-FRANCES O’CONNOR Gives TEDxUArizona Talk

NBC’s Vicky Nguyen interviewed Ralph White and several of the Vietnamese refugees he rescued and wrote about in GETTING OUT OF SAIGON: How a 27-Year-Old Banker Saved 113 Vietnamese Civilians (Simon & Schuster) for a segment on Today. 

GETTING OUT OF SAIGON Featured on Today

"Davis gives us honest if sometimes jumbled insights into a queer domestic fantasy stuck in a version of the past that has never really existed."- The Cut

The Cut Loves DYKETTE

Electric Lit recommends reading DYKETTE this summer. 

"The Big Chill goes gay in Davis’s raunch-com about six queer Brooklynites spending the holidays at a Hudson farmhouse. Come for the sometimes-riotous relationship drama, stay for the myriad cultural in-jokes..."-Electric Lit

Electric Lit Calls DYKETTE One of the Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Books of the Summer

W Magazine recommends diving into DYKETTE this summer. 

"At heart a love story, Dykette seductively examines themes like queer nonconformity and its place in a heteronormative world."-W Magazine

W Magazine Recommends DYKETTE

The Washington Post approves of Dykette as a great poolside read. 

"This is a book full of queer vocabulary and gossip written in a bold, unapologetic way. And why should it be otherwise? With 'Dykette,' Davis has filled what has been mostly an empty shelf in the literary world." -The Washington Post

The Washington Post Loves DYKETTE

The New York Times Book Review featured Melissa L. Sevigny’s BRAVE THE WILD RIVER: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon (Norton). Reviewer Deborah Blum said: “[A] cascade of a story, colored by sun and water and driven by courage and determination.”

New York Times Reviews BRAVE THE WILD RIVER

Vogue interviews Jenny Fran Davis on her newly published novel, Dykette.

Vogue Interviews Jenny Fran Davis

Vanity Fair interviews Jenny Fran Davis on her new novel DYKETTE.

"Davis’s new novel reads like a taxonomy of queer theory, references, and history, while offering up wholly new words and takes on contemporary lesbian life."- Svetlana Kitto, Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair Interviews Jenny Fran Davis

Dr. Thema Bryant appears on CBS Mornings on an expert panel to discuss finding mental health care, healing trauma, and supporting the mental health of teens for "Wellness Week" during Mental Health Awareness Month.

Dr. Thema Bryant Joins CBS Mornings on an Expert Panel

Kirkus Reviews named Ralph White’s GETTING OUT OF SAIGON (Simon & Schuster) one of the “10 Most Addictive Books of 2023 (So Far).” In its starred review, Kirkus said: "White tells his inspiring story with wit, panache, humility, and a captivating sense of time and place. A fantastic read."

Kirkus Names GETTING OUT OF SAIGON to “10 Most Addictive"

Christian Science Monitor named its 10 Best Books of April and included Ralph White’s GETTING OUT OF SAIGON (Simon & Schuster). They said: “His well-documented, true story offers a gripping play-by-play about the choice to do what’s right instead of what’s authorized.”

Christian Science Monitor Selects GETTING OUT OF SAIGON as a Best Book of April

TRUTH’S TABLE: Black Women’s Musings on Life, Love, and Liberation

THE ADDRESS BOOK: What Street Addresses Reveal about Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power

WEST SIDE LOVE STORY

PRETEND IT’S MY BODY

DYKETTE

WAXING ON: The Karate Kid and Me

LITURGIES FOR HOPE: Sixty Prayers for the Highs, Lows, and Everything in Between

“It’s the epic love story of 2017 and the ending is one you’ll be feeling for months to come.”—Redbook

"An irresistible tale of love and second chances."—People 

“This moving story is a perfect understanding of the sacrifices we make for love and for our dreams.”—Real Simple

“Your new tearjerker has arrived: Fans of Me Before You and One Day will love/weep over this elegant novel.”—New York Post

“This read is One Day meets Me Before You meets your weekender bag.”—The Skimm 

“Have your tissues ready...This book will sink its hooks into your heart on page one, and leave you scarred long after you're done.”—Bustle

“Enchanted and compelled me.”—Delia Ephron, author of Siracusa

“A wonderful and heartbreaking book....The kind of heartbreak that’s in The Way We Were, that you really love to cry over.”—NBC New York's Weekend Today


“Heart-wrenching yet beautiful.”—US Weekly


“A beautiful and devastating story that will captivate readers.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Comparisons will be made to David Nicholls’ One Day, but there is something more romantic here—yet also more grounded—that will draw readers in.”—Booklist

THE LIGHT WE LOST

BEAVERLAND

HOLD ME TIGHT: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love

SEINFELDIA: How a Show about Nothing Changed Everything

Monster is now a major motion picture starring Jennifer Hudson, Kelvin Harrison, Jr., Nas, and A$AP Rocky.

Named one of The 100 Best YA Books of All Time by TIME Magazine

New York Times bestseller, 2000 Coretta Scott King Honor Book, 2000 Michael L. Printz Award, 1999 National Book Award Finalist, 2000 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA), Hornbook Fanfare 2000, 2000 Quick Picks for Young Adults (Recomm. Books for Reluctant Young Readers)

This bestselling novel from acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers tells the story of Steve Harmon, a teenage boy in juvenile detention and on trial.

Presented as a screenplay of Steve's own imagination, and peppered with journal entries, the book shows how one single decision can change our whole lives.

Monster is a multi-award-winning, provocative coming-of-age story that was the first-ever Michael L. Printz Award recipient, an ALA Best Book, a Coretta Scott King Honor selection, and a National Book Award finalist.