I am SO excited to be taking part in #HereWeAre Feminist Party! Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World is an incredible anthology of essays, lists, poems, comics, and illustrations about everything from body positivity to romance to gender identity to intersectionality to the greatest girl friendships in fiction. The contributors range from authors like Malinda Lo to actress and activist Amandla Stenberg.
The anthology is edited by one of my favorite humans and one of my feminist role models, Kelly Jensen. I've known Kelly online for years and have had the pleasure to meet her at BookRiot Live twice. Kelly is a huge inspiration to me and someone I admire very much so I jumped at the chance to take part in the #HereWeAre Party
With Kelly Jensen, Amanda Nelson, and Rebecca Schinsky -- some of my fav badass babes
One of my favorite things about being a feminist is the sense of female solidarity--and how women can lift each other up. I love celebrating amazing women and their achievements! I am so lucky to have so many wonderful women in my life who have supported and encouraged me, and whenever I can, I try to do the same for them.
Often, the media portrays women as catty and competitive, but I think in reality, women are each other's best allies and supporters. I think it is possible to be ambitious and want to do your very best while still supporting and lifting up other women, especially in the publishing industry.
In my YA debut, The Heartbeats of Wing Jones, female friendship and support plays a huge part of the story. All of the girls on Wing's track team are supportive of each other, especially Wing's friend Eliza. Eliza isn't threatened or intimidated by Wing's speed and skill, instead she wants to encourage Wing to be the best that she can be.
I'm so proud to be celebrating this incredible anthology -- and all of the amazing women in the world who life each other up.