from Lauren Wiser

Left Bank Books presents author Roxane Gay, who will sign and discuss her essay collection, Bad Feminist (Harper Perennial, August 2014), on Friday, August 29, 7pm, at Left Bank Books (399 N. Euclid).

In these funny and insightful essays, Roxane Gay takes us through the journey of her evolution as a woman (Sweet Valley High) of color (The Help) while also taking readers on a ride through culture of the last few years (Girls) and commenting on the state of feminism today (abortion, Chris Brown). The portrait that emerges is not only one of an incredibly insightful woman continually growing to understand herself and our society, but also one of our culture. Bad Feminist is a sharp, funny, and spot-on look at the ways in which the culture we consume becomes who we are, and an inspiring call-to-arms of all the ways we still need to do better.

A starred review from Publishers Weekly calls Bad Feminist a “trenchant collection…Whatever her topic, Gay’s provocative essays stand out for their bravery, wit, and emotional honesty.” Book Riot says, “Pre-order it, put it on the library hold list, whatever. Just get ready to read it and quote it and share it and be challenged by it,” while Library Journal claims, “Smart readers cannot afford to miss these essays.”

Roxane Gay’s writing has appeared or is forthcoming in Best American Mystery Stories 2014, Best American Short Stories 2012, Best Sex Writing 2012, A Public Space, McSweeney’s, Tin House, Oxford American, The New York Times Book Review, Time, The Nation, The Rumpus, Salon, and many others. She is the co-editor of PANK. She is also the author of the books Ayiti, An Untamed State, and Hunger, forthcoming from Harper in 2016.