Melissa Febos


Melissa Febos is an American writer.
She is the author of Whip Smart, a memoir of her work as a professional dominatrix while she was studying at The New School.
Her second book, the lyric essay collection Abandon Me, was published by Bloomsbury Publishing on February 28, 2017.
Her third book and second essay collection, Girlhood, will be published by Bloomsbury Publishing in 2021.

Early life and education

Febos grew up in Falmouth, Massachusetts. Her father was a sea captain, and her mother a therapist. She left home at sixteen after passing the GED, moved to Boston, and worked at an assortment of jobs including as a boatyard hand and as a chambermaid. She attended night courses at Harvard Extension School, then enrolled in The New School and moved to New York City in August 1999. She later earned an MFA at Sarah Lawrence College.

Career

Febos was the co-curator, with Rebecca Keith, of the monthly Mixer Reading and Music series on the Lower East Side for ten years. A three-time MacDowell Colony fellow, she has received fellowships from Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Vermont Studio Center, and the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. Her essays have won awards from Prairie Schooner and StoryQuarterly, and for five years she was on the Board of Directors of. She has taught at SUNY Purchase College, the Gotham Writers' Workshop, The New School, Sarah Lawrence College, New York University, and Utica College. She is currently an Associate Professor and MFA Director at Monmouth University.
Febos has contributed to publications such as The New York Times, Salon, Bomb, Hunger Mountain, Prairie Schooner, The Kenyon Review, Tin House, Granta, Post Road, Dissent, Vogue, The Believer, The Sewanee Review, The Huffington Post, Bitch Magazine and The Chronicle of Higher Education.''

Media

Whip Smart resulted in a front-page appearance on the cover of the New York Post, a feature interview on NPR's radio program Fresh Air with Terry Gross, a guest appearance on Anderson Cooper's talk show, and an appearance on CNN's Dr. Drew show. Abandon Me was one of the best reviewed essay collections of 2017.
The New Yorker called it "mesmerizing" and wrote that "the sheer fearlessness of the narrative is captivating."

Awards