Books

Lena Dunham's New Book Supports Girls Write Now

Everyone's favorite 20-something showrunner surprised us all on Tuesday. Girls creator Lena Dunham's new book, Is It Evil Not to Be Sure?, will drop on Tuesday at noon, just in time for fans to snag their copies before Tuesday night's Girls Write Now Awards. All profits from the sale of Dunham's new book will support Girls Write Now, an organization that, according to Dunham, "gives young women ... the chance to tell their own story and become, in Nora Ephron's words, th[e] protagonists of their own lives."

Is It Evil Not to Be Sure? is a collection of essays based on journals Dunham kept in 2005 and 2006, when she was 19 years old. It has a limited print run of 2,000 signed copies, available exclusively from the Lenny Letter Store. Dunham will attend the Girls Write Now Awards on Tuesday night, and may read from her new book then.

Girls Write Now connects aspiring writers in the New York City area with mentors who help with "portfolios, readings, and publication, supplemented with supports like trainings, college prep[,] and therapy panel." The organization takes girls — and their ideas, beliefs, and emotions — seriously, refuting the pervasive myth that young women are silly, flaky, or otherwise incapable of being serious.

The 2016 Girls Write Now Awards honor Jenni Konner, Dunham's partner in crime on Girls and Lenny; Janet Mock, author of Redefining Realness and founder of #GirlsLikeUs; and John Osborn, Barbie "Imagine the Possibilities" campaign creator. Fusion journalist Alicia Menendez will emcee the event, which begins Tuesday at 6 P.M.