Developed as part of the first cohort of MansA Lab, Overbookées is a feminist and anti-racist literary project led by Déli. The platform seeks to bring women of color authors closer to their audiences and to promote Afro-feminist narratives, giving greater visibility to voices that remain underrepresented in the publishing world.
By Selma Chougar
Published on December 11, 2025
Déli never thought she was meant for literature. As she herself says: “I wasn’t supposed to talk about books with people. I was supposed to go into law, diplomacy—all that. But life took me in a different direction.”
Elsewhere, there’s Overbookées, the literary platform she founded five years ago, which has grown over the course of a few seasons into a small activist ecosystem: a monthly book club, a podcast, a festival, and a nonprofit organization. It’s an outlet that allows her to explore the themes close to her heart, such as Afrofeminism and the intersectionality of struggles.
With two master’s degrees in international law, Déli initially turned to diplomacy before changing course: “I eventually realized that that world wasn’t for me,” she says. Her dual French-Gabonese identity has long left her facing blind spots: how do you find your place in a society that denies part of who you are? “Simone de Beauvoir’s feminism is fine, but it doesn’t speak to our realities.” Instead, she turns to contemporary Black female thinkers: “I’m not a theorist, but I know how to seek out those who have the words. And connect them,” she asserts without compromise.
Literature then took on greater importance. Then, right in the middle of lockdown, it all clicked: “On Instagram, I saw feminist pages popping up everywhere. I had a sense that something was wrong with the world, but I didn’t know how to put it into words. Those accounts helped me articulate my unease,” she admits. Déli immersed herself in feminist and anti-racist works by bell hooks and Jennifer Padjemi, whose book *Feminism and Pop Culture* became a turning point: “After reading it, I watched *Grey’s Anatomy* with fresh eyes. I had new tools—a feminist lens through which to view the show.”
Her reading sparked a deep-seated need to talk about it. So she started a book club, “a bit on the fly,” during the lockdown. The first sessions took place on Zoom. A few friends, two or three strangers she met on Instagram, and then guest authors, such as Jennifer Padjemi. The format caught on: “I realized I didn’t want to talk about literature. I wanted to talk about feminism and anti-racism. The book was just a vehicle,” she admits.
Today, Overbookées is structured around a monthly gathering, providing a space for authors of color, socially conscious publishers, and book lovers to connect. The initiative also organizes the feminist and anti-racist festival Read & Shine, whose third edition brought together 1,500 people at the Gaîté Lyrique: “Despite the anxiety-inducing political climate, we pulled it off. Let’s keep sharing our stories!” Among the activities of the Overbookées network, the MansA Lab incubator is designed to help the group explore the dynamics of the literary sector, stabilize the media outlet, and establish a self-sustaining organization.
