Brookline Publisher’s First Book Wins National Indie Excellence Award

BROOKLINE, MA — Brookline publisher k+p press, launched in 2020 by childhood friends Beth Kantrowitz of Brookline and Roberta Paul of Newton, celebrated the release of its debut novel, A Season Unknown by child psychologist Keith Cohen, in April 2021. Now, that same novel has won a finalist award for literary fiction from the National Indie Excellence Awards.

A Season Unknown tells the coming-of-age story of Malach, who has a unique and unexplained connection with the natural world and the ability to communicate with animals. The story not only confronts the ever-present issue of climate change and the existential perils it brings, but also follows Malach’s relationships with his Mother, Judith, and his girlfriend, Ginny, as well as their relationships with themselves.

“You can feel [Cohen’s] empathy for kids and adults and his passion for issues related to climate change,” Kantrowitz said. “The book is for young adults as well as people in their 20s, 30s, or 60s. It’s just a very important book that we want more people to learn about, and as it’s been out there, it seems even more timely than before.”

“Our dream is to get this book out to libraries and schools and in people's hands because it's such an important book,” Paul said.

As k+p press’ first novel, A Season Unknown sets the tone for the publisher's future and fits in with their tagline, “stories on the pulse of the present,” said Kantrowitz and Paul.

Although the duo have no prior publishing experience, Kantrowitz and Paul have backgrounds in curating and art, respectively, and have spent years collaborating on many different projects, something they say has been incredibly helpful in launching their own company.

“We have been cohorts for a very long time,” Paul said. “Beth is a curator and owns a gallery and I’m an artist and this was a completely pivotal project, but just added to our repertoire."

Kantrowitz and Paul are currently searching for more manuscripts to publish, especially those written by local writers. They are focusing on timely things that are happening and are looking for mostly fiction.

“We’ve had a lot of manuscripts and unfortunately they were not exactly what we are looking for,” Paul said. “We read them and talk about them, and we will know it when we find it. It has to be written well, just like when we look at art, we want it to be done well.”

A Season Unknown is available at Brookline Booksmith, as well as on Bookshop.org and Amazon. To learn more about k+p press, click here.