A Reading/Booksigning with editor Angie Manfredi and Los Angeles-based contributors
CHUBBY. CURVY. FLUFFY. PLUS-SIZE. THICK. FAT. The time has come for fat people to tell their own stories. The (Other) F Word (Abrams Books) combines the voices of Renée Watson, Julie Murphy, Jes Baker, Samantha Irby, Bruce Sturgell, and more in a relatable guide about body image and fat acceptance. This collection of art, poetry, essays, and fashion tips is meant for people of all sizes who desire to be seen and heard in a culture consumed by a narrow definition of beauty. By combining the talents of renowned fat Young Adult and middle-grade authors, as well as fat influencers and creators, this book offers activists of all ages a tool for navigating our world with confidence and courage.
Angie Manfredi
Jana Schmieding
Angie Manfredi is a librarian and writer who has spent the last 11 years working with children and teens. She is a passionate advocate for literacy and diversity.
Amy Spalding
Dr. Jon Paul Higgins
Angie is fat and not sorry about it.
Isabel Quintero
"This book of self-affirming, self-defining, and self-loving essays is exactly what we need in this fat-hating, fat-phobic society we are living in today." (Mirna Valerio, ultramarathoner and author of A Beautiful Work in Progress)
S. Qiouyi Lu
Amy Spalding grew up in St. Louis, but now lives in the better weather of Los Angeles. She has a B.A. in Advertising & Marketing Communications from Webster University, and an M.A. in Media Studies from The New School. Amy studied longform improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. She has written several Young Adult books. By day, she manages the digital media team for an indie film advertising agency. By later day and night, Amy writes, performs, and pets as many cats as she can.
Jana Schmieding is a Lakota Sioux writer, performer, activist and education consultant currently living and working in Los Angeles. Drawing from her experiences as an Indigenous Feminist, Jana uses her creative work and advocacy to move the needle on Native representation in media and entertainment. She performs regularly in LA and hosts a podcast called Woman of Size where brilliant people discuss their experiences with body-based discrimination.
Dr. Jon Paul Higgins is a speaker, writer, and social justice educator who focuses on issues related to gender, race, and media. Named Business Equality Magazine’s “Top 40 LGBTQ Under 40” in 2019, they have been featured on sites like NBC News, Buzzfeed, Vox, and Attn: and gave the first TEDx Talk on unlearned fear and reclaiming personal power in 2017. Dr. Higgins was born in Los Angeles, California and graduated from California State University, San Bernardino with a Bachelors of Arts in Communication Studies and a minor in Women’s Studies. They also hold a Masters of Arts in Management from the University of Redlands Dr. Higgins completed their Educational Doctorate of Leadership in Justice from the University of Redlands where they wrote their dissertation on the first year experiences of queer men of color in higher education.
S. Qiouyi Lu is a freelance writer, editor, and translator based in Los Angeles. Lu uses a background in linguistics to tell rich, polyphonic stories that highlight heritage and experience. Lu primarily writes genre work, including science fiction, fantasy, and horror. They translate and edit between two coasts of the Pacific. Their fiction and poetry have appeared in Asimov’s, F&SF, and Uncanny, and their translations have appeared in Clarkesworld. They edit the flash fiction and poetry magazine Arsenika.
Isabel Quintero is a Mexican-American writer of young adult literature, poetry and fiction. She was born in the Inland Empire of Southern California. Quintero attended California State University in San Bernardino where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in English, and later a Master of Arts in English Composition. She taught English at San Bernardino Valley College and Mt. San Jacinto College. Quintero also is a freelance writer for the Arts Council of San Bernardino[2] and an active member of PoetrIE, an organization working to bring literary arts to Inland Empire communities. She wrote a young adult fiction novel Gabi, A Girl in Pieces (2014), and two books for younger children, Ugly Cat and Pablo (2017)and Ugly Cat and Pablo and the Missing Brother (2017). She has also written a graphic novel, Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide.