BOOKS
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404 INK: NASTY WOMEN In the face of bigotry comes a collection of powerful essays
‘Loud world domination’. That’s what Heather McDaid and Laura Jones, founders of Scottish independent publisher 404 Ink, have in mind for this year as they launch a collection of 22 essays entitled Nasty Women. ‘A nasty woman, it seems, is a woman who speaks up,’ says McDaid, recalling the moment when Donald Trump viciously turned on Hillary Clinton during one of their heated Presidential debates. ‘And with truth and reality apparently becoming malleable concepts in the media, it’s more important than ever to publish real stories from real people.’
Nasty Women, the first book from 404 Ink, is a powerful essay collection from female writers looking at what it means to be a woman today. Katie Muriel’s ‘Independence Day’ asks why women should accept Trump as their President when he’s shown them
so little respect? Laura Waddell’s essay on art and class resonates because she writes the bare, hurtful truth, while Jen McGregor’s candid exploration of contraception is honest and necessary. That’s before we’ve got to sexual assault, racism, gender . . .
Funded through Kickstarter, within two weeks the project had blasted past its initial £6000 target, hitting £12,000 with 12 days still to go. Even Canadian author Margaret Atwood pledged. ‘We’re absolutely thrilled that she supports what we’re doing,’ Jones says. ‘The speed at which it’s taken off, plus the encouragement we’ve received through people backing the project has been completely overwhelming. But anyone who interprets Nasty Women as a book just for women is missing the point.’ (Jen Bowden) ■ Nasty Women is published on International Women’s Day, Wed 8 Mar.
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