Join us for a lecture on the power, necessity, ethics, and craft of narrative writing. Inspired by Melissa Febos‘s essay “In Praise of Navel-Gazing” in her most recent book Body Work, participate in generative exercises to leave the event with short drafts to expand and revise on your own. 

About the speaker:

Melissa Febos is the author of four books, including the national bestselling essay collection, Girlhood, which has been translated into eight languages and was a LAMBDA Literary Award finalist, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award in Criticism, and named a notable book of 2021 by NPR, Time, The Washington Post, and others. Her craft book, Body Work (2022), was also a national bestseller, an LA Times Bestseller, and an Indie Next Pick. Her fifth book, The Dry Season, is forthcoming from Alfred. A. Knopf on June 3, 2025. She is currently an 2024-25 American Library Scholar of Note.

Important information: The discussion will be available in person only.

Attendance at this event constitutes permission for your photograph or video to be taken at the event and used by the American Library in Paris for marketing, promotional, pedagogical, or other purposes.