You are viewing your 1 free article this month. Login to read more articles.
Penguin Random House is publishing an "urgent and inspirational" collection of new writing curated by Pink Protest activist Scarlett Curtis, featuring contributions from writers Helen Fielding, Dolly Alderton and "Ladybird" actress Saoirse Ronan.
With contributors including influential names across Hollywood, activism and the arts, according to PRH Feminists Don’t Wear Pink (And Other Lies) aims "to bridge the gap between the feminist hashtags and scholarly texts", with personal stories from girls and women about what "the F word" means to them.
Curtis emphasised the book wasn't intended to be a guide to being a perfect feminist, or even a full interpretation of the complex movement itself, but rather a collection of women's stories. "We’re hoping it might be something that teenagers pick up because they want to hear those stories and end up stumbling into a lifetime of feminism themselves," she said.
Penguin will publish the book in the UK on 4th October to tie in with the global summit of Girl Up, an initiative hosted by the United Nations Foundation, and ahead of the UN's International Day of the Girl on 11th October. Royalties of each copy sold will also go to Girl Up.
Penguin has world rights, acquired through Abigail Bergstrom at Gleam Titles. It will be published in the US by Ballantine, a division of Penguin Random House, simultaneously with the UK. German rights have been sold to Goldmann, a division of Random House.
An "unmissable" PR and marketing campaign is promised, including a merchandising collaboration with millennial brand Skinnydip, known for "trend-led statement" products. Curtis has also launched an international Instagram movement on the @feminists handle to explore the messages of the book and shine a light on the girls that are a part of Girl Up’s global leadership development program.
Holly Harris, editorial director at Penguin Random House Children's, said: "We are so excited to be publishing this fresh, funny, urgent and inspirational collection of writing. The diversity of the voices in this book makes it an extraordinary and empowering read, and we feel very lucky to be working with so many incredible women. Scarlett is a brilliant writer and activist and the book she has curated is timely, clever and important."