Ultimo acquires Knight memoir

Ultimo Press has acquired world rights to the memoir Strange Little Girl by Melbourne-based writer, performer and zine maker Jess Knight.

Described by the publisher as a ‘heart-warming, unapologetic and funny’ memoir, Strange Little Girl follows Knight’s experience growing up on a dairy farm in rural Victoria in a Mormon family.

‘I wrote the book because Book of Mormon The Musical gave no voice to what it’s like to be a young girl growing up in the church,’ said Knight. ‘I wrote the book for the young version of myself who felt so alone and scared most of the time growing up. I wrote the book for people who find it difficult to have a core group of close friends. It’s always been something I feel ill-equipped for. I went to the Big Day Out 2001 by myself because I had no friends and my cousin backed out last minute. I think I would have had more fun if I was drinking alcohol at that point.’

Ultimo publisher director Robert Watkins says of the memoir: ‘This is a story for anyone who ever felt like an outcast, or that they didn’t know how to live up to the expectations set for them. It’s the story of how to choose yourself, finally, when you realise that your dreams don’t have to match the people you’re surrounded by. It’s full of life and family and home—it’s a book for everyone.’

Knight was a recipient of the 2018 Besen Family Foundation fellowship, a previous Wheeler Centre Hot Desk Fellow, and premiered her show Mormon Girl at the 2019 Fringe Festival. Her writing has been published in Meanjin, Scum magazine, and the Growing Up Disabled in Australia anthology (Black Inc.)

Ultimo will publish Strange Little Girl in June 2023.

Image credit: Theresa Harrison

Category: Local news Rights and acquisitions