A new book of essays co-edited by Kim Gordon has been announced. This Woman’s Work: Essays on Music, co-edited by Gordon and former music journalist Sinéad Gleeson, features pieces about pioneering women artists from all women writers who recontextualize a story that has long been told from the male perspective. The book includes contributions from Anne Enright, Fatima Bhutto, Maggie Nelson, Pitchfork Contributing Editor Jenn Pelly, Juliana Huxtable, Liz Pelly, Maggie Nelson, Margo Jefferson, and others. The book will hit shelves via White Rabbit on April 7, 2022.
About the project, Gordon wrote on Instagram:
“What is it like to be a girl in a band?” The question asked many times throughout my career as a musician has made me feel, bothered, a freak or that we are all the same. I once asked my friend what it’s like to have a penis. For me these are equivalent questions. If it was born out of curiosity, then it’s understandable. Hopefully this book will begin unraveling the myth that, as a musician, you are a ready-made, easily digestible person. I loved working on this book with Sinéad – she is a real inspiration! So excited to be working with Lee Brackstone again.
Gleeson added in a press release:
Music has been a huge part of my life, from fan to music journalist and writer, I’ve always been aware that male narratives have dominated this industry; valued and prioritized over many pioneering female practitioners. Women (like Kim) had to create their own space in it, and we wanted to create a book in which women were asked to tell us about the artists, movements and pioneers who are important to them. I was honored to find these stories and to work with Kim, whom I first saw play with Sonic Youth in Dublin when I was 16. This Woman’s Work has an excellent list of contributors writing on popular and niche topics, and we hope there is something in here for every music fanatic.
Gordon published her own memoir Girl in a Band in 2015. Last year she released No Icon, a scrapbook of previously unseen photos, fonts, and ephemera from her entire career.
Gordon will perform at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Union Park, Chicago on Saturday, September 11th. The evening before, she will perform an official aftershow for the Pitchfork Fest in Thalia Hall. Tickets are now available.
Watch “Unconventional Idol: Kim Gordon’s Girl in a Band” again.
