Melissa Febos on Untangling Girlhood

“That’s when I realized, “Oh this is the project of the book. I’m remaking my consciousness. This isn’t what I signed up for.” And of course it is— I’m the one holding the clipboard. But this is not what I thought it was going to be.”

Melissa Febos is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir, Whip Smart, and the essay collection, Abandon Me, which was a LAMBDA Literary Award finalist, a Publishing Triangle Award finalist, and an Indie Next Pick. She is the inaugural winner of the Jeanne Córdova Nonfiction Award from LAMBDA Literary. Her most recent book is Girlhood, came out in March 2021.