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Across the centuries, writers, scholars, and storytellers have preserved and reimagined the histories of slavery and the long fight for freedom. The books below trace the lives of the enslaved and the emancipated, the fugitives and the free, the remembered and the forgotten. Together, they speak to the endurance of Black life and imagination across generations.

Today, the Gotham Book Prize, an annual award first created in the early months of the pandemic to encourage and honor writing about New York City, announced the winners of its fifth-annual prize: Paradise Bronx: The Life and Times of New York’s Greatest Borough by Ian Frazier and Movement: New York’s Long War to Take Back It Streets from the Car by Nicole Gelinas. The two winners, as selected by a jury made up of leading New Yorkers and authors, will split the $50,000 prize.

A selection of chronologically sequenced entries from Larry Racioppo’s notebooks—beginning with the earliest glimmer of what would become his book, HERE DOWN ON DARK EARTH—offers a view into the project’s evolution from concept to creation. 

At Fordham University Press (FUP), we believe literacy transcends mere reading and writing—it is a gateway to lifelong learning, critical thinking, and community engagement. In celebration of University Press Week and its #StepUP theme, we’re proud to highlight how FUP is promoting literacy through initiatives and partnerships that enrich the lives of New Yorkers by connecting authors with readers.

Fordham University Press (FUP) is proud to announce the ongoing expansion of its Digitization Project, adding 20 titles spanning a wide range of academic disciplines to its digital offerings. This initiative makes these valuable works globally accessible and inclusive for visually impaired audiences, aligning with the mission of FUP and Fordham University to disseminate knowledge widely and equitably.

We are excited to announce that Flesh and Spirit: Confessions of a Young Lord by Felipe Luciano is a winner of the Forty-Fifth Annual American Book Awards given by The Before Columbus Foundation.

It’s 7:40 am on July 24 when the email arrives: “Town of Jasper, Jasper National Park, evacuated due to wildfire.” Two days later, the fire reaches the rustic townsite, burning so fiercely it has created its own pyrocumulonimbus weather system complete with a raging firewall nearly 400 feet tall. Read more.

We are pleased to announce that Colorful Palate: A Flavorful Journey Through a Mixed American Experience by Raj Tawney, published October 3, 2023 through Empire State Editions (ESE), has been awarded the Bronze Medal at the 2024 Living Now Book Awards in the ‘Inspirational Memoir – Male’ category.

We are thrilled to announce that Julia Bouwsma, an esteemed author and poet with Fordham University Press, has been named one of the 2024 Poet Laureate Fellows by the Academy of American Poets. This prestigious honor recognizes poets of exceptional talent and dedication to their craft, and we are proud to see Bouwsma’s incredible work celebrated on this national platform.

Today, August 2, would have been James Baldwin’s 100th birthday, marking the centennial of a literary giant whose work remains as relevant as ever. His writings continue to challenge societal norms and shape discussions on race, sexuality, and social justice, inspiring generations to strive for a more equitable world.