#301 | Girlhood w/ Melissa Febos

Last Born In The Wilderness

[Intro: 6:52] Critically acclaimed author Melissa Febos joins me to discuss her most recent collection of essays, ‘Girlhood’ — "a gripping set of stories about the forces that shape girls and the adults they become." I first became aware of Melissa and her book Girlhood from an essay she published in The New York Times Magazine titled ‘I Spent My Life Consenting to Touch I Didn’t Want,’ adapted from an essay published in the then-to-be-released ‘Girlhood’. Her personal reflections on the concept of "empty consent" from her experiences attending a cuddle party (pre-pandemic), compelled me to contact her to discuss the complex issues she deftly navigates through that essay. After reading Girlhood, I recognized the significance of her masterful writing and exploration of her own childhood and development into womanhood. We discuss, within the 47-minute interview, a few of the significant insights I drew out of my reading, including the gradients of consent and trauma, and the role men can, and must, play in upending patriarchy in our time. Melissa Febos is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir, ‘Whip Smart’ (St. Martin’s Press 2010), and the essay collection, ‘Abandon Me’ (Bloomsbury 2017), which was a LAMBDA Literary Award finalist, a Publishing Triangle Award finalist, an Indie Next Pick, and was widely named a Best Book of 2017. Her second essay collection, ‘Girlhood,’ a National Bestseller, was published by Bloomsbury on March 30. A craft book, ‘Body Work,’ will be published by Catapult in March 2022. Episode Notes: - Learn more about Melissa and her work: https://www.melissafebos.com - Purchase ‘Girlhood’ through Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/24168/9781635572520 - Read ‘I Spent My Life Consenting to Touch I Didn’t Want’: https://nyti.ms/38gozlV - Music was produced by Epik The Dawn. WEBSITE: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness DONATE: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast / https://venmo.com/LastBornPodcast BOOK LIST: https://bookshop.org/shop/lastbornpodcast EPISODE 300: https://lastborninthewilderness.bandcamp.com BOOK: http://bit.ly/ORBITgr ATTACK & DETHRONE: https://anchor.fm/adgodcast DROP ME A LINE: Call [phone] or http://bit.ly/LBWfiledrop EVERYTHING ELSE: https://linktr.ee/patterns.of.behavior