Fat Off, Fat On

A Big Bitch Manifesto by Clarkisha Kent

Is it spring yet? Maybe? In California there was snow a few weeks so who knows what is what anymore! I’m thrilled to give away 8 copies of Clarkisha Kent’s Fat Off, Fat On: A Big Bitch Manifesto, available now from The Feminist Press. See below for details.

The cover of Clarkisha Kent's memoir Fat Off, Fat On shows the author, a Black woman with shoulder-length hair, sitting at a red table in front of a matching red background. She is wearing a white dress and gold tiara, has her chin resting on one hand, and is holding a cupcake in her other hand. On the table is a gold set of scales holding a trio of cupcakes, raised up on the lighter end, and an assortment of fruit on the heavier end touching the table. A yellow measuring tape is tied around the author's wrist and the center of the scale. The text reads: "FAT OFF FAT ON" in large white type, "A BIG BITCH MANIFESTO" below in smaller white type, and "CLARKISA KENT" at the bottom in small white type. Photo credit: Monica Escamilla. Designed by Drew Stevens.

About the book

In this disarming and candid memoir, cultural critic Clarkisha Kent unpacks the kind of compounded problems you face when you’re a fat, Black, queer woman in a society obsessed with heteronormativity.

There was no easy way for Kent to navigate personal discovery and self-love. As a dark-skinned, first-generation American facing a myriad of mental health issues and intergenerational trauma, at times Kent’s body felt like a cosmic punishment. In the face of body dysmorphia, homophobia, anti-Blackness, and respectability politics, the pursuit of “high self-esteem” seemed oxymoronic.

Fat Off, Fat On: A Big Bitch Manifesto is a humorous, at times tragic, memoir that follows Kent on her journey to realizing that her body is a gift to be grown into, that sometimes family doesn’t always mean home, and how even ill-fated bisexual romances could free her from gender essentialism. Perfect for readers of Keah Brown’s The Pretty One, Alida Nugent’s You Don’t Have to Like Me, and Stephanie Yeboah’s Fattily Ever After, Kent’s debut explores her own lived experiences to illuminate how fatphobia intertwines with other oppressions. It stresses the importance of addressing the violence scored upon our minds and our bodies, and how we might begin the difficult—but joyful—work of setting ourselves free.

The author, wearing a white shirt and a light-wash denim jacket, sits in a park. Her elbow is resting on the table in front of her and her chin rests on the back of her hand. Photo credit: Cheyenne Ewulu

About the author

Clarkisha Kent is a Nigerian American writer, culture critic, former columnist, and author. Committed to telling inclusive stories via unique viewpoints from nigh-infancy, she is fascinated with using storytelling and cultural criticism not as a way to “overcome” or “transcend” her unique identities (as a FAT, bisexual, and disabled Black African woman), but as a way to explore them, celebrate them, affirm them, and most importantly, normalize them and make the world safe enough for people who share them to exist.

Details

1) Any disabled person in the US is eligible for this giveaway. You do not need to disclose any details about your disability.

If you already received a book from one of my previous giveaways, please consider letting other people have a chance.

2) The first 8 people will receive a paperback. If you do not receive a reply that means the books have been claimed or you did not include all the required information. 

3) Send an email to DisabilityVisibilityProject@gmail.com with ‘Clarkisha Kent Giveaway’ in the title of the message. Do not reply to this post!!

4) Include the following information in your message:

• First and last name

• Mailing address

Please note: I will send this information along with your email address to the publisher. They are responsible for confirming your details and sending you the book. Please be patient!