Will Evans founded Deep Vellum Publishing in Dallas in 2014 to publish books in translation, which is a good thing. Because, even though 75 percent of the known universe speaks a language other than English, only 3 percent of foreign titles are translated into the language spoken by most Americans. Which means that Americans tend to read books by other Americans. And some Brits. And the occasional Australian. Which means that our world tends to feel a whole lot smaller than it actually is.
Although Evans has decided to embark on a new project, namely co-founding a multimedia company (check out the December issue for info on that), he’s handed over his Deep Ellum storefront to Anne Hollander, a former marketing consultant and general Renaissance woman who volunteered to turn Evans’ vision of an independent bookstore into a reality.
The revamped Deep Vellum Books will be hosting a book release party for Peruvian author Claudia Salazar Jimenez on November 12 at 7 p.m. Her award-winning debut novel, Blood of the Dawn, follows three women during Peru’s “time of fear,” an ongoing civil war that began in 1980. Shelf Unbound, a locally based indie book review magazine, is serving as co-host. You can read their interview with Jimenez here. Also at the event will be Señorita, a Dallas nonprofit that sells jewelry to raise funds for the education of girls in orphanages in Peru.
It seems like a post-election discussion about a modern-day civil war—and a good excuse to look beyond our borders—will come at a good time.
