Roxane Gay

"A strikingly fresh cultural critic" (Ron Charles, The Washington Post,) novelist and essayist Roxane Gay took the literary world by storm with her collection, Bad Feminist. Elizabeth McCracken compared reading Bad Feminist to "staying up agreeing and arguing with the smartest person you've ever met." Gay, a first-generation Haitian-American raised in the Midwest, is also author of the novel An Untamed State, a harrowing, powerful story of a privileged woman kidnapped for ransom in Haiti; more broadly, it's a meditation on political and sexual power and the rage boiling in that country of extreme poverty. "Clear your schedule now! Once you start this book, you will not be able to put it down. An Untamed State is a novel of hope intermingled with fear, a book about possibilities mixed with horror and despair," (Edwidge Danticat). Gay’s writing has appeared in Best American Mystery Stories 2014, Best American Short Stories 2012, The New York Times Book Review, Bookforum, Time, The Los Angeles Times, The Nation, The Rumpus, and Salon, and many others. Her latest book Hunger from Harper will be released in 2016. (strongstuff)… (more)

A collection of essays spanning politics, criticism, and feminism from one of the most-watched young cultural observers of her generation, Roxane Gay. "Pink is my favorite color. I used to say my favorite color was black to be cool, but it is pink--all shades of pink. If I have an accessory, it is probably pink. I read Vogue, and I'm not doing it ironically, though it might seem that way. I once live-tweeted the September issue." 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, Django in Chains) 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. Roxane Gay is an American writer, professor, editor, blogger, and commentator. She is a professor of English at Purdue University, founder of Tiny Hardcore Press, contributing editor for Bluestem Magazine, essays editor for The Rumpus, and co-editor of PANK, a nonprofit literary arts collective

Location: Street: 695 E. Colorado Blvd City: Pasadena, Province: California Postal Code: 91101 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Join us on May 2nd for a FULL day of FUN Stuff!! About Impro Theatre: L.A. WEEKLY – PICK OF THE WEEK! “You don’t have to be a Chekhov aficionado to appreciate this entertaining and clever mock-up of his art. The evening’s humor derives from a savvy and seasoned ensemble who specialize in fashioning a unique, full-length play for each performance. The laughs are plentiful and hearty.” – L.A. Weekly “The most authentic and thoughtful staging of Anton Chekhov I’ve experienced in America. Nimbly directed, sublimely performed, and – I want to emphasize – written all in real time, in front of a live audience. This company simultaneously invents, analyzes, praises, and riffs. The company owes its reserved, almost stately approach to an ethos more interested in creating literature than in telling jokes. Not that it’s not funny. There are a lot of laughs, but they’re in service of story and character. A great show for anyone who thinks he hates Chekhov, or that he’s boring or “serious.” Like any piece of art, it’s probably an even better show for someone who’s studied the source.” – Stage and Cinema ________________________________________ SYNOPSIS Impro Theatre creates a new Chekhovian world populated by people who dream of a different life, all the while dealing with the everyday unpredictability of feeling love, disillusionment and the certain catastrophe that is the next moment. The company starts with audience suggestions and creates a completely new improvised play at every performance. About Roxane Gay and Bad feminist: A collection of essays spanning politics, criticism, and feminism from one of the most-watched young cultural observers of her generation, Roxane Gay. "Pink is my favorite color. I used to say my favorite color was black to be cool, but it is pink--all shades of pink. If I have an accessory, it is probably pink. I read Vogue, and I'm not doing it ironically, though it might seem that way. I once live-tweeted the September issue." 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, Django in Chains) 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. Roxane Gay is an American writer, professor, editor, blogger, and commentator. She is a professor of English at Purdue University, founder of Tiny Hardcore Press, contributing editor for Bluestem Magazine, essays editor for The Rumpus, and co-editor of PANK, a nonprofit literary arts collective.

Location: Street: 695 E. Colorado Blvd City: Pasadena, Province: California Postal Code: 91101 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

6 to 8 p.m. doors open at 5:15 p.m.

Bad feminist

Reading & Signing

**Please Note: This event will be held at First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple, 77 W. Washington St.**

Join Women Employed and New York Times bestselling author Roxane Gay for a conversation about feminism, inequality, workplace discrimination, the struggles that 21st century women still face, and why "having it all" doesn't make sense for millions of women just scraping to get by. Gay would "rather be a Bad feminist than no feminist at all," and Women Employed also believes that you don't have to be a professional feminist to care about workplace issues and economic inequality. Get tickets at: http://womenemployed.org/join-us-conversation-new-york-times-best-selling-author

Location: Street: 77 W. Washington St. Additional: First United Methodist Church City: Chicago, Province: Illinois Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Writers Martha Baillie, Nick Cutter, Roxane Gay and Gary Geddes read from their latest works. Farzana Doctor hosts.

Martha Baillie is the author of four novels. Her most recent, The Incident Report, was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and was included in The Globe and Mail’s list of Best Books for 2009. She has written about contemporary visual art for the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Koffler Gallery and Brick magazine. Her poetry has appeared in several Canadian journals. Baillie presents The Search for Heinrich Schlögel. Her hypnotic new novel follows the titular character from Germany to Canada, where he sets out on a two-week hike into the isolated interior of Baffin Island.

Nick Cutter is one of the pen names that acclaimed author Craig Davidson has published both novels and short stories under. His novel Cataract City was shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. Under the name Nick Cutter, Davidson presents The Troop, the story of a group of boys who set out into the Canadian wilderness on a three-day camping trip that quickly takes a terrifying turn.

Farzana Doctor’s first novel, Stealing Nasreen, received critical acclaim and was nominated for Masala!Mehndi!Masti! People’s Choice Award. She has also written on social work and diversity-related topics, and in her spare time she provides private practice consulting and psychotherapy services. Doctor's most recent novel, Six Metres of Pavement, is about a man who struggles to continue living after his daughter’s tragic death. Things begin to change, however, when he befriends two very different women: a young queer activist and his grieving Portuguese-Canadian neighbour.

Roxane Gay’s writing has appeared in Oxford American, American Short Fiction, Virginia Quarterly Review, NOON, The New York Times Book Review, The Rumpus, Salon and numerous anthologies. Her first book, Ayiti, was a collection of poetry and short stories. She is the co-editor of PANK and she teaches writing at Eastern Illinois University. Gay presents her stunning debut novel, An Untamed State, about a woman kidnapped for ransom, her captivity as her father refuses to pay and her struggle to come to terms with the ordeal in its aftermath.

Gary Geddes has written and edited more than 40 books of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, drama and criticism. Geddes has won a dozen national and international literary awards, including the Commonwealth Poetry Prize, the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Literary Excellence and the Gabriela Mistral Prize from Chile. Geddes presents his latest poetry collection, What Does a House Want?, a polished and cinematographic take on numerous ideas from Israeli-Palestinian violence to the reputation of Ezra Pound.

Sunday, October 26, 2014 - 11:00 AM
Brigantine Room, 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto M5J 2G8

Cost: $18/$15 supporters/FREE students & youth 25 and under (Jenni_Canuck)… (more)

Roxane Gay, debut novelist and “bad feminist,” sits down to talk to The Globe and Mail‘s Siri Agrell about her stunning first novel, An Untamed State, about a woman kidnapped for ransom in Haiti and her struggle to come to terms with the ordeal in its aftermath.

Saturday, October 25, 2014 - 2:00 PM
Fleck Dance Theatre, 207 Queens Quay West, Toronto M5J 2G8

Cost: $18/$15 supporters/FREE students & youth 25 and under (Jenni_Canuck)… (more)

Left Bank Books

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, Django Unchained) 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.

Parking: Lots one block north and one block east; street parking (meters free after 7pm)

For directions and public transportation information, click here.

Location: Street: Left Bank Books Additional: 399 N. Euclid Ave. City: Saint Louis, Province: Missouri Postal Code: 63108 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Wednesday, August 27th - Roxane Gay

7:30 p.m.

Bad Feminist

Roxane Gay is one of the most-watched young cultural observers of her generation. In this hysterical and sharp essay collection, she uses Sweet Valley High, The Help, and Girls, among other cultural touchstones to take readers through her journey as a woman of color while also commenting on the state of feminism today. The portrait that emerges is not only one of Gay herself, but also the media we consume. It is also a surprisingly inspirational call-to-arms of all the ways we still need to do better. Roxane Gay is the author of An Untamed State and Ayiti. She is a columnist for Salon, the co-editor of PANK, the essays editor for the Rumpus, and her work has also appeared in Glamour, Best American Short Stories, and the New York Times Book Review.

Location: Street: 5233 N. Clark St. City: Chicago, Province: Illinois Postal Code: 60640-2122 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)