Jenny Slate nabs book deal with Little, Brown for feminist essay collection

Jenny Slate has landed a book deal with Little, Brown and Company to publish a feminist essay and fable collection in 2019, EW has learned exclusively.

The acclaimed actress, who this year starred in the film Landline and recurred in Netflix’s Lady Dynamite, will explore what it’s like to be female in a misogynistic culture. The witty and at times fantastical book imagines the perspectives of other preyed-upon creatures (a deer venturing into a meadow; a globe of fruit plucked from its branch), invites us into the haunted house of her childhood, and celebrates the power of being vulnerable and open, even in the face of rejection and fear.

“There is so much natural magic to being a human, and in feminism as a movement and a way of life,” Slate said in a statement. “I’m thrilled that Little, Brown, and Co. has given me a chance to explore and explain where I find this magic, and how it feels to be alive and a woman in today’s wild world. Let’s get going!”

Editor Jean Garnett acquired the book for Little, Brown. “I’ve been a fan of Jenny for many years, and I’ve always marveled at the way she expresses herself onstage,” she said. “Turns out, she is dynamite on the page as well. Her writing has that same wild energy and intense, in-your-face vulnerability that makes her stand-up and onscreen performances so thrilling. I love that she’s not going the standard memoir route here; she’s striking out and following her vision into a new territory, and I am so excited that Little, Brown and I get to join her.”

Slate is best known for her performance in the film Obvious Child, which won her a Critics’ Choice Award for best comedy actress and an Independent Spirit Award nomination for best actress. She’s made memorable guest appearances in Girls and Parks and Recreation, and is a prolific voice-actor, lending her talents to Bob’s Burgers, Adventure Time, and Netflix’s Big Mouth this year alone. She was also briefly a featured cast member on Saturday Night Live.

Her as-yet-untitled book will be published in 2019.