Round-Down: Catapult Launches Onto the Literary Scene

Elizabeth Koch recently conceived of a promising new literary venture, Catapult, that launched yesterday. Jennifer Kovitz, the publisher’s publicity and marketing director, said that “Catapult is dedicated to spotlighting extraordinary narratives (as fiction, nonfiction, memoir, and graphic/illustrated projects) and we intend for Catapult to be an inclusive community for writers at all stages of their careers.”

Kovitz explains that the publishing company “was conceived by Andy Hunter and Elizabeth Koch in 2014, and has been just over a year and three months from conception to launch.” Hunter, co-founder of Electric Literature, will serve as Publisher, and Pat Strachan, who worked at Farrar, Straus and Giroux, will serve as Editor-in-Chief.

Catapult’s team members and their positions in the independent press community already situate the publisher within a revered literary landscape; the company seems poised to be of great new influence—and soon.

It is not often the case that I don’t at all question the necessity of a new literary venture. Catapult, however, promises to deliver the best in contemporary work today with an eye turned seriously toward supporting writers and readers in an ever-evolving industry.

Catapult already looks to be highly ambitious, well-organized, and worthy of attention. Its launch onto the literary scene seems at once careful and forceful, carrying the weight of extraordinary writing from its emerging and established writers alike. It is rare, too, to find this combination of vision, talent, dedication, resource, and commitment to voices at all levels—all qualities that give it the potential to be a fantastic literary force.

The new publishing company has been offering—and will continue to offer—excellent workshops with greats such as James Hannaham since April. Its first release is Pagdett Powell’s story collection Cries for Help, Various. David Byron Queen reviews the title at The Rumpus, and writes that the work is a “stirring balance of silliness and tragedy transcends and wins, over and over.”

Head over to Catapult’s website to read great new work by a cast of talented writers.