Interlink Publishing, which describes itself as the only Palestinian-owned publishing house in the U.S., has announced that founders Michel and Ruth Moushabeck have transferred ownership to their three daughters, Leyla, Hannah, and Maha, along with their son-in-law, Harrison Williams.
Interlink was founded in 1987 in Northampton, Mass., with the intention of counteracting negative stereotyping and misrepresentation of Arab and Palestinian cultures in the United States. It now produces approximately 80 titles a year, and has a backlist of more than 1,000 books of fiction in translation, nonfiction, and children’s books.
Among its bestselling titles are the James Beard Award-winning cookbook Ethiopia: Recipes and Traditions From the Horn of Africa by Yohanis Gebreyesu, Palestine on a Plate: Memories From My Mother’s Kitchen by Joudie Kalla, Rainbow Revolutions: Power, Pride, and Protest in the Fight for Queer Rights by Jamie Lawson, and several poetry collections by the late Mahmoud Darwish, author of the Palestinian Declaration of Independence.
Publishing has been the family business, and the Moushabeck children bring experience from major publishing houses: Hannah has worked as a marketing manager at Simon & Schuster, Quarto, and Chronicle Books, while Maha spent several years working with Yale University Press in London.
Over the past year, Michel has been especially active in the international book publishing scene in advocating for Palestinian books and authors, as well as protesting human rights abuses in the war between Hamas and Israel.
“After nearly 40 years of running Interlink Publishing, I am proud and overjoyed to be passing the reins to my three talented daughters and son-in-law, who will safeguard its mission as they take it to the next level,” Michel Moushabeck told PW, adding: “I have transferred ownership to them and I am leaving its management in their capable hands, but I will not disappear from the scene anytime soon. I plan to continue to be an Interlink editor for as long as they will have me. So come see me at the Frankfurt Book Fair at the Interlink stand # 5.1 C79.”
In a release announcing the change of ownership, the new management team said that they would continue supporting their parent’s original mission. “We believe in amplifying the voices so often excluded in the mainstream,” they said. “We’re dedicated to sharing the history, art, music, literature, and beauty that our culture and so many others bring to the world and we see this as a form of resistance.”
This article has been updated with further information.