Author Melissa Febos has consistently flipped the literary paradigm. Her memoirs chronicling her time as a dominatrix and her musings on relationships and female adolescence have challenged traditional notions of memoir writing. Melissa tells Claire about her process for writing intimately and honestly about trauma, desire, and other life experiences. She also talks about her latest book, Body Work, which invites readers to grasp the radical power of writing your personal narrative. 

Resources from the show

• Check out Melissa’s latest book Body Work: The Radical Power of Personal Narrative
• Read Melissa’s essay, The Heart-Work: Writing About Trauma as a Subversive Act, in Poets & Writers

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