In this week's edition of Endnotes, we take a look at Freda Epum's The Gloomy Girl Variety Show , a portrait of her experiences as a disabled Black woman with bipolar disorder. In its review, PW said, "Epum effectively transports readers inside her mind and offers bracing, funny testimony."
Here's how the book came together:
Freda Epum
“A much earlier draft of Gloomy Girl was my MFA thesis. After school, I continued to work on the book and I queried agents. I later signed with Reiko Davis. Reiko and I worked on the book on and off for about two years, looking for the connective thread between the individual pieces that differed in form but all circled around migration, race, and mental illness.”
Reiko Davis
“I was immediately taken with the manuscript’s formal inventiveness and Freda’s ability to merge memoir, poetry, and criticism. I knew this project needed a publisher who values books that don’t fit neatly within traditional categories.”
Kameel Mir
“The Gloomy Girl Variety Show actually came to Feminist Press on submission for the Louise Meriwether First Book Prize. Fast-forward to 2023, I joined the press and inherited the editorial reins for Gloomy Girl, which felt like a match made in heaven. As a longtime lover of Kate Zambreno, Christina Sharpe, and other writers brilliantly walking the lines dividing genres of literary nonfiction—theory, memoir, history, critique, lyric essay— I thrilled to Freda’s multivalent approach to her own life narrative.”
Dana Li
“The author had a painting by Yasmin Idris in mind, so my job was making sure the art popped. She was hoping for a cover inspired by La Belle Époque–era posters and magazine covers, so I selected typefaces reminiscent of the period. The team decided a graphic approach might work well; I cropped the painting and explored borders and shapes inspired by vintage posters and illustrations.”
