Batis

A new independent press is here 🎉

Led by Nick Mulgrew, Batis Books is publishing writers from southern Africa and Scotland.

And the best part about it all?

SUBMISSIONS ARE OPEN 🔥📇

www.bat.is/submissions

📍 Written about Chatsworth in South Africa’s Durban, from Stockholm in Sweden, Pravasan Pillay’s ‘Chatsworth’ is perfect to read… everywhere!

From a chain-smoking twelve-year-old to a heat that is almost tangible, these stories, set in one of the largest Indian communities outside of India, are for readers who love darkly funny and deeply human tales.

📕 And they can be yours, here: www.bat.is/books/chatsworth

London 🌿

Batis Books invites you to the launch of Among Willows, the debut book of plant writing by Cynthia Fan 🍃

Join us for an evening of conversation, books and drinks, including a discussion between Cynthia and Batis publisher, Nick Mulgrew.

We’ll also have a special limited edition of covers by Mika Lapid available on the night ✨

🗓 Thursday 4 June 2026
🕕 6–9PM (talk begins at 7PM)
📍 Frida & Wagner’s Studio
139 Clapham Road, SW9 0HP

RSVP essential: no RSVP, no entry!

Please join us at Golden Hare Bookstore for the launch of ‘Among Willows: Essays on Plant Form and Family’ by Cynthia Fan! 🫚🌸

6.30pm | Wed 10 June
Golden Hare Books | 68 St Stephen Street, EH3 5AQ

Buy a copy of ‘Among Willows’ & receive FREE event entry or choose the Ticket-Only option for £6 (which can be used towards a purchase of the book on the night)🍂

→ FYI: Golden Hare Books will send a confirmation email

✉️ Email [email protected]
📱 Call 0131 225 7755 or
💻 Book online: https://goldenharebooks.com/products/among-willows-event-with-cynthia-fan-wednesday-10th-june-2026

AMONG WILLOWS by Cynthia Fan is out today ✨

Congratulations, Cynthia 🎉

This powerful essay collection – rooted in floristry, memory, and the natural world – has launched across South Africa, and the UK & Ireland 🇬🇧 🇿🇦🇮🇪

📚 Get your copy now!

🔗 www.bat.is/books/among-willows

🔗 www.mzansibooks.co.za/products/among-willows-essays-on-plant-form-and-family

📣 British, South African & Irish readers, tomorrow you can read Cynthia Fan’s ✨ AMONG WILLOWS ✨

Get ahead of the rush by pre-ordering your copy at the links below! 👇

🇬🇧 + 🇮🇪 If you're in the UK and Ireland: www.bat.is/books/among-willows

🇿🇦 South African readers can head to Mzansi Books: www.mzansibooks.co.za/products/among-willows-essays-on-plant-form-and-family

📣 Meet the publisher: Nick Mulgrew

From South Africa’s Durban to Edinburgh in Scotland, Nick Mulgrew has built a literary career defined by range and rigour 📚

Born to British parents, in SA he founded uHlanga, a pioneering poetry press now in its eleventh year, which is an immeasurable feat for a southern African publisher!

Leveraging his 14+ years in the literary & publishing worlds, Mulgrew has launched Batis Books in Edinburgh, with exciting titles from the likes of Cynthia Fan and Ivan Vladislavić, to name a few.

🔥 Learn more about Nick, and find out why he wants to publish YOUR writing: www.bat.is/about

Dr Athambile Masola, author of Inheritance, joined Gugs Mhlungu on 702 Weekend Breakfast to speak about her latest book: writing it, and the experiences that shaped this translation of Ilifa (first published by our sister press, uHlanga).

🎧 You can listen to the full interview via 702 now: https://omny.fm/shows/weekend-breakfast-702/literature-corner-inheritance-by-dr-athambile-masola

Literature Corner: Inheritance by Dr Athambile Masola - Weekend Breakfast with Gugs Mhlungu Gugs Mhlungu chats to Dr Athambile Masola, Author of Inheritance on the book she penned and what inspired it. Gugs Mhlungu gets you ready for the weekend each Saturday and Sunday morning on 702. She is your weekend wake-up companion, with all you need to know for your weekend. The topics Gugs covers...

We’re a small, independent press based in Edinburgh, with British and African roots 📚

From work by Cynthia Fan to Pravasan Pillay, we publish writing from all over, with a particular focus on writers from Scotland & southern Africa.

And, we’re open to submissions (no agent needed 👀).

🪺🪶 Find us here: www.bat.is

7 days to go until ‘Among Willows’ is out in the UK & Ireland 🌿

So lush. So yours!

Get your copy on the 8th of May. Or why not pre-order it now?👀

Good shout! 😉

You know what to do: www.bat.is/books/among-willows

“Whether searching for resurrection plants in barren Namibia, reflecting on the roles of willows and arum lilies in Chinese culture, or ruminating on London's urban poppies, Fan presents a unique perspective not just on the botanical world, but how humans form attachment to and make meanings of it.”

‘Among Willows’ is out on 8 May 2026! 🎉

Cheeky pre-order? 👀

Get your copy now: www.bat.is/books/among-willows

📸: Jesse Navarre Vos