SUMMER 2021


PASSION FOR DIVERSE STORYTELLING


“Being transported to an alternate universe just through words is amazing, but after a while you realize that the main characters going on adventures are nev- er people of color,” Brame said.


“Having stories from marginalized communities from children’s books to young adult fiction can really im- pact the way communities see reading and literacy,” she added.


Writer turned publisher Josh Demarest ’14 is a professional people watcher.


He can find a story in the most mundane activities. The morning commute on the train, a mother feeding her child, a person wearing cosplay to the grocery store. And, of course, stories undoubtedly blossom from interviews with such interesting people as exorcists, cult survivors and serial killers.


“For me, creativity starts and ends with people. I can’t help but ask myself what their motivations are? What is the story there? How do these tiny moments of humanity connect us all? Those questions lead to characters, to plot and truth about the human condition,” said Demarest, the founder and executive director of CatStone Books.


His interest in pushing to the forefront diverse stories about the human condition prompted him to develop CatStone as a creative space for Black and indigenous authors and storytellers of color who are often overlooked in the publishing industry. The company’s mission is to amplify for marginalized writers their stories that range from fantasy to sci-fi to horror.


“We started CatStone Books so that minority authors in speculative fiction could have a place to go for the


10 resources to break into a notoriously closed industry,” Demarest said. “The more I spoke with the very people I would be serving,


the more I realized that taking action was better than doing nothing.”


“There is room for inclusion” The publishing industry lauds the work of white writers at disproportionately high rates, Demarest said. The New York Times conducted its own study of 8,000 fiction books published between 1950 and 2018 and discovered that 95 percent were written by white authors.


“And of the 34 authors who hit number one on the New York Times Fiction Best Seller’s List in 2020, 32 of them were white. There is room for inclusion,” Demarest added.


DeAnn Brame, a digital services and systems librari- an at Winthrop’s Ida Jane Dacus Library, is an avid reader of specu- lative fiction and said diversity in storytelling allows children and even adults to see themselves in stories where traditionally they are a secondary character or not even in the story.


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“For us, true equity also means that traditionally mar- ginalized authors are receiving the same size advanc- es on royalties, the same marketing budget from pub- lishers, the same coverage in national media and the same representation by top agents. All of these issues are heavily out of balance right now,” he said.


Balance is necessary, Demarest said, in order to foster literacy and give authors the tools and resources they


For CatStone, its roster encompasses authors in the LGBTQ+ community, authors with disabilities, neurodi- verse authors and authors living an immigrant experi- ence. The publishing company’s vision also goes be- yond just publishing. Demarest is working to dissolve significant disparities and other issues plaguing the industry including equity, accessibility and justice.


need to have a successful career. More importantly, CatStone wants to promote diverse books to school kids still finding their passion for storytelling.


“Sparking a joy for literature” “It’s about learning new and exciting details and being able to take the things you’ve read and make connections in your everyday life,” Brame added. “The impacts of literacy are far reaching. Sparking a joy for literature can change lives.”


CatStone utilizes programs like the Samuel R. Delany Fellowship to level the playing field as much as pos- sible. Authors receive a $10,000 cash stipend, a new laptop, mentorship by A-list authors and an opportuni- ty to pitch their projects to a panel of agents.


“Our goal is to help develop a whole generation of diverse voices that come through our programs that create the next echelon of storytellers,” Demarest said.


CatStone partners with teachers and schools across the country to donate over 1,500 books per year to give kids access to more diverse reading material.


Follow CatStone on Twitter: @CatstoneB


“Being transported to an alternate universe just through words is amazing, but after a while you realize that the main characters going on adventures are never people of color.”

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