Lily Diamond’s Lilith Lit isn’t just a book club — it’s a gathering space for women seeking truth, connection and courage through literature. Centered on bold, defiant works by women (the first season includes Lisa Taddeo, Domenica Ruta, Rebecca Walker, Lisa Ko, Cat Bohannon, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, and Debra Magpie Earling) the community brings readers into conversation not only with powerful books, but with the authors and each other.
In this Q&A, Diamond shares the personal inspiration behind Lilith Lit, how she curates its dynamic lineup and why storytelling remains one of the most vital tools for resistance, reflection and collective healing.
What inspired you to create a book club centered specifically on women reading defiant works by women?
What happens when we as women have a safe, compassionate mirror for our own experiences? About a decade ago, I realized I was almost exclusively (though unintentionally!) reading books by women authors. I wanted to understand the heartbreak, loss and eco-political turmoil I was experiencing, and women’s stories were mirrors that reflected complex questions of gender, race, class, sex, power, purpose and care.
As a book club for women reading contemporary fiction and nonfiction by women, Lilith Lit is a place for us to witness, listen to, celebrate, grieve, rage for and honor each other’s stories. And it’s a testament to the transformative power of women’s kinship amidst ongoing oppression.
The inaugural lineup features remarkable writers like Lisa Taddeo, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, Rebecca Walker and Cat Bohannon. How did you curate this first slate of authors?
We’re living in a time when it’s dangerous to be a woman who tells the truth. I feel this risk in my own work as a writer, and I’m always seeking out books that hold that kindred spark of danger, of truth. Each Lilith Lit author delivers truth, revealing something undeniable and formidable about the challenges and transcendent joys women face in the world today. I’m honored to have seven luminary writers join us to share their stories this season. Every book is electric, and I cannot wait for our community conversation and Q&A with each author.
What makes Lilith Lit different from a traditional book club?
So much! First: We don’t rush; we read books in a 6–8-week cycle. Second: I curate a slate of contemporary fiction and nonfiction for the entire year and share the authors up-front, so Lilith Lit members are participating in a curated literary series (the books are a semi-surprise, though!). My picks aren’t just the trendiest titles, they’re books that changed me, that explore how we as women are navigating, surviving and thriving in today’s world. And finally: The Lilith Lit community! We gather virtually twice a month — once for a community book chat, once for a convo and Q&A with the author — and connect weekly on Substack where I offer reading guides with juicy insights from the authors.
You describe the featured writers as artists whose work is activism, truth and power. Why is literature such a powerful vehicle for those ideas?
That iconic Joan Didion line from The White Album, “We tell ourselves stories in order to live,” comes to mind: Telling our stories is fundamental to survival, to the ways we make meaning of life, to our ability to connect with others. But who is telling the story matters, and for millennia, men have been the dominant storytellers in religion, government, academia and the public sphere. Moreover, women from Lilith to Toni Morrison have been punished for telling their stories. Book bans are alive and well today, and research shows that the most-banned books are those by women of color. To give voice to women’s stories, women’s histories, women’s present-day realities, is inherently an act of courage.
As a writer, editor and devoted library lover, how has your own relationship with books shaped the vision for Lilith Lit?
From the time I was young, books felt like home to me: they offered safety, resonance, community and an escape into possible futures. Now — as a 42 year-old woman living in a world that often feels isolating — I hope Lilith Lit will be a community that offers that same resonance and safety for women of all ages.
The name “Lilith” carries strong mythological and feminist symbolism. What does that figure represent to you and to the spirit of the book club?
Lilith is one of our earliest feminist ancestors, alternately cast as human and demon — the way most women are. She’s first depicted in Sumerian poetry around 2000 B.C.E. and later as what may be the first human woman in the bible, created from the same earth as Adam. When Adam refuses Lilith’s equality, she decides to leave Eden. The price of that freedom is her demonization, sexualization and silencing in mythology, history, art and more. Lilith’s willingness to sacrifice “paradise” to preserve her sovereignty is a guiding light for every woman facing the danger of telling her own story.
Looking ahead, what do you hope readers take away from their year with Lilith Lit?
Warmth! Joy! A feeling of connection, community, insight into themselves and today’s world and culture and excitement for our next year together.
