Glory_Edim

Glory Edim

Glory Edim

American writer

Glory Edim is an American writer and entrepreneur. She is best known as the founder of the reading network Well-Read Black Girl. Edim received the 2017 Innovator's Award at the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for her work.[1]

Quick Facts Born, Occupation ...

Early life and education

Edim was born and raised in Arlington, Virginia,[2] to Nigerian immigrant parents who had survived the Biafra war.[3][4] Edim's father moved back to Nigeria in the early 90s; when she was in kindergarten, she and her mother joined him.[3] The two soon returned to the States after Edim fell ill.[3] Her mother, previously a historian, pursued a nursing degree.[3] They frequently visited her father in Nigeria.[4]

Edim attended Trinity College on a full scholarship before transferring to Howard University, her father's alma mater, where she studied journalism.[1][5]

Career

Edim launched Well-Read Black Girl (WRBG) on Instagram after moving to New York City in 2015.[6] An avid reader, the Well-Read Black Girl moniker came from a nickname that her boyfriend gave her and printed on a t-shirt for her as a gift.[7][8] Edim was frequently asked about the shirt by strangers on the subway, which often turned into conversations about what she was reading at the time.[7]

Each Instagram post featured an archival photo of an African American woman writer with a caption that featured a quotation by that writer.[3] Eden stated that her goal for WRBG was to develop a community for Black women to discuss their interest in literature by Black women writers.[7] The commenters (mostly Black women) began conversations in the comments, which prompted Edim to launch a Brooklyn-based book club for WRBG.[3] Authors such as Naomi Jackson and LaShonda Katrice Barnett attended the meetings upon her invitation.[3]

Edim developed the idea for an annual literary festival of the same name with the help of writer Tayari Jones.[3] In June 2017 Edim used Kickstarter, where she worked full-time, to raise $40,000 for the event.[7][9] The inaugural festival took place in September 2017 in Brooklyn and sold out.[7]

Books

She published an anthology called Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves (Ballantine Books) on October 30, 2018.[3] Edim studied anthologies by Toni Cade Bambara to inform the style of the anthology.[4] The book includes authors at various stages in their careers, such as Morgan Jerkins, Jacqueline Woodson, and Jesmyn Ward. Edim wrote the foreword.[3] Of putting together the anthology, Edim stated "I was trying to replicate the intimacy you have in a book club within the community, where it feels like someone is sitting next to you and telling you a very personal and loving story."[3] The anthology received positive critical reception. Utibe Gautt Ate wrote in a review for LA Review of Books, "The anthology’s premise, “When did you first see yourself in literature?” is a seemingly simple question each author is asked to illuminate, yet for the black women here it opens a glorious Pandora’s box and sparks a telling journey of how black girl readers become black woman writers."[10] Publishers Weekly stated, "Speaking directly to black women readers, this book contains a journey from which anyone can derive enjoyment and benefit."[11]

Edim is planning the release of two more books: a memoir titled Raised By Books, and a second Well-Read Black Girl anthology.[5][12]

Accolades

References

  1. [1]
    León, Concepción de (2018-10-25). "'Well-Read Black Girl' Is Bigger Than Glory Edim". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  2. [2]
    "'Well-Read Black Girl' Is Bigger Than Glory Edim". NY Times. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
  3. [3]
    Israel, Yahdon. "How Glory Edim and Well-Read Black Girl Are Creating and Transforming Communities of Readers". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  4. [4]
    "'Well-Read Black Girl' Turns Books Into Community". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  5. [5]
    "Q&A: How Glory Edim found her voice in her anthology 'Well-read Black Girl'". Los Angeles Times. 2019-02-13. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  6. [6]
    Gadegbeku, Zoe (2018-10-25). "Well-Read Black Girl's Glory Edim continues to grow her empire". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  7. [7]
    "Meet the innovative literary leader Glory Edim of Well-Read Black Girl". Los Angeles Times. 2018-04-12. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  8. [8]
    Evans, Dayna (2017-10-11). "How I Get It Done: Glory Edim". The Cut. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  9. [9]
    Knoepp, Lilly. "How This Well-Read Black Girl Became An Entrepreneur". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  10. [10]
    Ate, Utibe Gautt. "We All Get to Dream: On Glory Edim's "Well Read-Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves"". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  11. [11]
    "Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  12. [12]
    "Becoming Your Own Gatekeeper". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  13. [13]
    "Thompson-Spires Wins Hurston/Wright 2019 Award for Fiction". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  14. [14]
    Nakamura, Reid (2019-03-31). "NAACP Image Awards 2019: The Complete Winners List". TheWrap. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
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