Being Alive Book Club reads Stag Dance
Writer Torrey Peters will join us Thurs, April 17 to discuss her new collection.
It’s supposed to hit 79 degrees here in Brooklyn today (!!)—the sun is shining and NYers are beginning to expose their winter skin. I’m eager to get out there myself, but not before I tell you the big news: Writer, motorcyclist, fashion icon, spa-builder Torrey Peters is our April book club author!
I, well, so many of us, fell in love with Torrey reading Detransition, Baby her knockout debut novel, which earned heaps of deserved praise and a spot on NYT’s Best Books of the 21st Century list. The book rocked my world, giving me new insight into my relationships and my relationship to myself. There’s one particular scene in the book that forever shifted how I make sense of my own headspace during sex. We’re not reading Detransition, Baby this month, but we’re not not reading it either. I just started the audiobook.
We’re officially here to read Stag Dance, Torrey’s brand new collection that brings together four stories written across a transformative period in her life (and the world):
I wrote the pieces in this book over a course of ten years. They were the stories I wrote to puzzle out, through genre, the inconvenient aspects of my never-ending transition—otherwise known as an ongoing trans life—aspects that didn’t seem to accord with slogans, “good” politics, or the currently available language…
At the Stag Dance launch event, powerhouse critic Andrea Long Chu remarked on Torrey’s uncanny ability to write about the trans experience while not writing about characters people would typically describe as trans. One of the many gifts of Detransition, Baby is the revelation that other major life events, e.g. divorce, share the same emotional core as transitioning. I’m beyond excited to read Torrey with all of you.
AND! Torrey signed a special copy of Stag Dance for one lucky Being Alive Book Club reader at her book launch event. Drop a comment and I’ll draw a name on Monday… it’s free. (Though, I wouldn't say no to your donation.)
ALSO! Torrey will join us for a live conversation on Thursday, April 17th on Zoom. These book club gatherings are so special—looking forward to seeing you there.
As a reminder, BABC is open to ALL and there are many ways to participate, none of which technically require reading the book.
Opt A: Read alongside me by reading this newsletter and/or enjoy Torrey’s book in the format of your choosing.
Opt B: Join our official Being Alive Book Club chat. We cheer each other on and debate format: “paper, pixels, or audio?”
Opt C: Meet Torrey Peters! Live! Online! See registration link above.
More questions? Check out the new Being Alive Book Club FAQ!
Thank you for reading with me.
xx Kyle
Somehow I still haven’t read Detransition Baby, so this month is going to be a double feature for me 🙌
Excited to read this one -- Detransition Baby is a forever top read. Loved Torrey Peters' interview with Sam Sanders last week.