Runagate Press was founded in 1996 by Kalamu ya Salaam and Ayo Fayemi-Robinson (formerly Kysha N. Brown). The press was borne from the influence and inspiration of NOMMO Literary Society, a New Orleans-based black writers’ workshop which Salaam founded after Brown questioned the exclusion of women writers from a previous workshop he led at the request of a local university. Two years into the weekly workshops and monthly public readings at Community Book Center, the need to publish was apparent. With the literary contributions of NOMMO writers, the proofreading and editing support of core members, and Salaam’s network of writers from across the African Diaspora, the first anthology from Runagate, Fertile Ground, received critical acclaim. Runagate Press is dedicated to promulgating New Orleans culture and African heritage cultures worldwide.
