Glory Edim | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1982 (age 42–43) Arlington, VA, United States |
| Occupation | Writer, Influencer |
| Language | English |
| Education | Howard University (BA) |
| Notable awards | Innovator’s Award, Los Angeles Times (2017) |
| Children | 1 |
Glory Okon Edim is a Nigerian-American writer and entrepreneur. [1] 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. [2]
Edim was born and raised in Arlington, Virginia, [3] to Nigerian immigrant parents who had survived the Biafra war. [4] [5] Edim's father moved back to Nigeria in the early 90s; when she was in kindergarten, she and her mother joined him. [4] The two soon returned to the States after Edim fell ill. [4] Her mother, previously a historian, pursued a nursing degree. [4] They frequently visited her father in Nigeria. [5]
Edim attended Trinity College on a full scholarship before transferring to Howard University, her father's alma mater, where she studied journalism. [2] [6]
Edim launched Well-Read Black Girl (WRBG) on Instagram after moving to New York City in 2015. [7] 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. [8] [9] 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. [8]
Each Instagram post featured an archival photo of an African American woman writer with a caption that featured a quotation by that writer. [4] 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. [8] The commenters (mostly Black women) began conversations in the comments, which prompted Edim to launch a Brooklyn-based book club for WRBG. [4] Authors such as Naomi Jackson and LaShonda Katrice Barnett attended the meetings upon her invitation. [4]
Edim developed the idea for an annual literary festival of the same name with the help of writer Tayari Jones. [4] In June 2017 Edim used Kickstarter, where she worked full-time, to raise $40,000 for the event. [8] [10] The inaugural festival took place in September 2017 in Brooklyn and sold out. [8]
She published an anthology called Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves (Ballantine Books) on October 30, 2018. [4] Edim studied anthologies by Toni Cade Bambara to inform the style of the anthology. [5] The book includes authors at various stages in their careers, such as Morgan Jerkins, Jacqueline Woodson, and Jesmyn Ward. Edim wrote the foreword. [4] 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." [4] 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." [11] Publishers Weekly stated, "Speaking directly to black women readers, this book contains a journey from which anyone can derive enjoyment and benefit." [12]
Edim is planning the release of two more books: a memoir titled Raised By Books, and a second Well-Read Black Girl anthology. [6] [13]