After years of writing for theatre, Playwriting alum Kim Merill '95 has shifted her focus to fiction. Her newest book Red Girl Jumping (The Journal of Experimental Fiction, 2026) is described as an experimental memoir written by memory personified.
The book follows Kimberly and Red Girl, “a shard of memory” trapped inside the mind of Kimberly who narrates the story. Bending the form of memoir to rely on techniques of fiction-writing, the book weaves a story of disassociation, confrontation, and catharsis. At one point in the story, Kimberly acknowledges Red Girl as the author of the story, both accepting Red Girl's help and acknowledging her writing. Red Girl Jumping was awarded the Kenneth Patchen Award for the Innovative Novel prior to publication.
Merill’s plays include works like Marla and Her Prayers, Exposure Time, and Finding Claire. She’s written another novel titled MOOSE XING and is at work on a third novel called Hilda’s House, set in rural Maine. Hilda's House was shortlisted in 2024 for the Regal House Publishing Petrichor Prize. Merill’s fiction has received support from The MacDowell Colony, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and The Helene Wurlitzer foundation. Her plays have been produced regionally and off-off-Broadway. Her work was described by the New York Times as "....lovely, sensitive, engrossing....takes theatre goers along for the roller coaster ride...."
You can order Red Girl Jumping here.
