"Body Work: The Power of Personal Writing"
2-3:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Merrick Hall 301
Join Melissa Febos–bestselling author of four books, including Girlhood, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award in Criticism, and Body Work The Radical Power of Personal Narrative, among others–as she discusses the power inherent to writing intimately on true subjects and how personal narratives can wake us to oppressive histories and function as acts of subversion. Drawing on her own path from aspiring writer to acclaimed author and writing professor–via addiction and recovery, sex work, and academia–Melissa Febos explores issues of subjectivity, privacy, and the power of divulgence, ultimately arguing that "social justice has always depended on the testimonies of the oppressed" and that "the resistance to memoirs about trauma is always in part…a resistance to movements of social justice." Books will be available for sale and this event will be followed by a book-signing and Q&A.
 Moderator: Amy Butcher Associate Professor of English |
 David G. Osborne Lecturer: Melissa Febos Author of the nationally bestselling essay collection, "Girlhood" |