Read a Girl #40: “Misfits: A Personal Manifesto”, Michaela Coel

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Happy 2022!

Before we fully start the new year, you might have noticed this month’s newsletter didn’t go out on the first Monday of the month, as it has been the norm since we started out three years ago, and for that, I apologise. The last year was a very hard one on all of us and it definitely took a toll on me as we closed off 2021.

Now that we’ve cleared things, let me introduce you to our newsletter’s first book of the year: “Misfits: A Personal Manifesto” by the brilliant Michaela Coel. This is quite a short read and a great one to kick off 2022. Its centrepiece is her 2018 MacTaggart Lecture at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, filled with big ideas on race, gender and equality.

Michaela’s accounts of her own experiences are radically honest and a bit on the raw side. Her book is a masterclass to anyone who ever wondered what it’s like to work in the TV and film industry - or is just generally curious about what it’s like working in media.

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a spectacularly sad ending

My first book, “a spectacularly sad ending”, is a collection of poetry and prose about heartbreak, loss and survival. It chronicles experiences of love, loss, abuse and grief, and is for anyone who is or ever had to mend a broken heart. It’s available as a paperback and also on Kindle. You can get it here.

🎵 This newsletter was written to the sounds of “Hot & Heavy”, by Lucy Dacus.

We have a playlist with all of the music featured in our newsletters. You can listen to it on Spotify.

About me

My name is Renata and I am the Founder and Editor of Read a Girl, a platform aimed at promoting the work of women writers. My background is in journalism and I spent most of my career covering foreign affairs and travelling around looking for good stories to tell. I love reading and my favourite authors are Elena Ferrante, J.D. Salinger, Julian Barnes and Sylvia Plath.

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