The Witches Are Coming

Lindy West
Born	(1982-03-09) March 9, 1982 Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Author, comedian, activist, writer
Years active	2009–present
Known for	Essay collections Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman and The Witches Are Coming; contributions to The New York Times; activism in feminism and fat acceptance movement

Lindy West (born March 9, 1982) is an American author, comedian, and activist. She is known for her essay collections Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman and The Witches Are Coming and contributes opinion pieces to The New York Times. Her writing primarily addresses themes of feminism, popular culture, and the fat acceptance movement.

Career

West's career began in 2009 as a film editor at Seattle's alternative weekly paper, The Stranger. After relocating to Los Angeles in 2011, she maintained her contributions to The Stranger until September 2012.

She worked as a staff writer for Jezebel, where she tackled subjects including racism, sexism, and fat shaming. Her articles have also been featured in publications such as The Daily Telegraph, GQ, the New York Daily News, Vulture.com, Deadspin, Cracked.com, MSNBC, and The Guardian.

Dayna Tortorici of The New York Times recognized West as "one of the most distinctive voices advancing feminist politics through humor," highlighting her impactful essays that have influenced perspectives on body image, comedy, and online harassment.

In 2013, West was honored with the Women's Media Center Social Media Award, presented by Jane Fonda in New York City. She remarked on the active role millennials play in online social justice movements.

That year, West was also engaged in a public disagreement with comedian Kurt Metzger regarding the use of rape jokes.

On September 19, 2015, West co-initiated Shout Your Abortion, a Twitter campaign designed to encourage individuals to share their abortion stories openly as a means to reduce stigma and resist attempts to defund Planned Parenthood.

In 2016, she received The Strangers Genius Award in Literature for her work on Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman.

Beginning July 1, 2017, West joined The New York Times as a contributing opinion writer, delivering a weekly column focused on feminism and popular culture.

Hulu debuted the television adaptation of West's memoir titled Shrill on March 15, 2019, starring Aidy Bryant. West took on roles as executive producer and writer; the show aired for three seasons.

Her second collection of essays, The Witches Are Coming, was released by Hachette Book Group on November 5, 2019.

In October 2020, Hachette Books published West's book titled Shit, Actually: The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema.

Personal life

West hails from Seattle, Washington and is the daughter of Paul West, a musician, and Ingrid, who works as a nurse. She pursued her studies at Occidental College in Los Angeles, California, which honored her with an honorary doctorate in 2024.

On July 11, 2015, she wed musician and author Ahamefule J. Oluo, the younger sibling of Seattle-based writer Ijeoma Oluo. In 2022, the couple openly embraced a polyamorous lifestyle.