Memoir meets craft masterclass in this daring honest psychologically insightful exploration of how we think and write about intimate experiencesa must read for anybody shoving a pen across paper or staring into a screen or a past Mary Karr In this bold and exhilarating mix of memoir and master class Melissa Febos tackles the emotional psychological and physical work of writing intimately while offering an utterly fresh examination of the storytellers life and the questions which run through it. How might we go about capturing on the page the relationships that have formed us How do we write about our bodies their desires and traumas What does it mean for an authors way of writing or living to be dismissed as navelgazingor else hailed as so brave so raw And to whom in the end do our most intimate stories belong Drawing on her own path from aspiring writer to acclaimed author and writing professorvia addiction and recovery sex work and academiaMelissa Febos has created a captivating guide to the writing life and a brilliantly unusual exploration of subjectivity privacy and the power of divulgence. Candid and inspiring Body Work will empower readers and writers alike offering ideasand occasional notes of cautionto anyone who has ever hoped to see themselves in a story.