TOPPLE Books, led by Editor-at-Large Jill Soloway, has acquired world rights for its first two titles. TOPPLE Books spotlights the voices of women of color and gender non-conforming, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer writers.
I Have Always Been Me: A Memoir by social justice and LGBTQ advocate Precious Brady-Davis chronicles the author's traumatic childhood of abandonment and neglect and her resilience as a biracial, Pentecostal, queer young person growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, while revealing the unrelenting, self-empowering spirit that guided her into community activism and ultimately happiness, success and love.
An American Coven( ant ) by Lucile Scott is a groundbreaking queer-feminist pop history of how mystical traditions intersected with modern feminism in America.
"Davis's memoir is at the core of TOPPLE's mission to publish work, especially by women of color, that drives social change and the conversation around sexuality and gender," said Soloway, "and Lucile Scott's exploration of the occult's longtime link with queer culture and inherent energy of female empowerment helps all look closer at what's fueling the present-day resurgence of women seeking deeper meaning in the chaos of the Trump era and an increasingly secular world."
Brady-Davis is represented Melissa Edwards at Stonesong and I Have Always Been Me, acquired at auction, will be edited by Hafizah Geter. Scott is represented by Jane Dystel at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret LLC and An American Coven( ant ) will be edited by Erin Calligan Mooney.
Both titles are slated for publication in 2020.
About Precious Brady-Davis: With more than 15 years of experience in nonprofit administration, leadership development and public relations Precious is a dynamic speaker and panelist who has been featured at: University of Chicago, Northwestern University, Reed College, University of Michigan, The Chicago Community Trust, Hampshire College, James Madison University and the University of Cambridge.
Davis said she finds "deep meaning in finding the root of what proliferates bias, bigotry and prejudice in our world. Through celebrating the beauty of coexistence, uplifting and centering the stories of those who are most marginalized, and seeing that all issues that damn the human condition are interconnected she invites all who come in contact with her to see the resilience that lives within us all." See PreciousDavis.com .
From a press release