Seattle writer Kristen Millares Young is the instigator, if not also the orchestrator for this evening’s virtual program, which brings together three writers on the subject of ‘Investigations of the Body,’ something each has explored and chronicled in her work.

Michelle Bowdler is the author of one of 2020’s most-praised and honored books, Is Rape a Crime? A Memoir, an Investigation, and a Manifesto (Flatiron), longlisted for the National Book Award, and included on several Best of 2020 lists. "Is Rape a Crime? is beautifully written and compellingly told. In 2020, we were all looking for solutions and this book was right on time. It is one we should all be reading." —Anita Hill. "This standout memoir marks a crucial moment in the discussion of what constitutes a violent crime."—Publishers Weekly, Best Books of 2020.

Grace Talusan’s 2019 memoir, The Body Papers (Restless Books), which received the Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing, is a moving account not only of a difficult way into the U.S. from her homeland of The Philippines, but also surviving abuse within her home, and later, serious health battles. “Grace Talusan writes eloquently about the most unsayable things: the deep gravitational pull of family, the complexity of navigating identity as an immigrant, and the ways we move forward even as we carry our traumas with us. Equal parts compassion and confession, The Body Papers is a stunning work by a powerful new writer who—like the best memoirists—transcends the personal to speak on a universal level.”—Celeste Ng.

Kristen Millares Young will one day get to give an in-person reading here at Elliott Bay - but this is not yet that night.. She has been a wonderful presence as a panelist and interlocutor at previous occasions, but it has been virtual going since her heralded debut novel, Subduction (Red Hen Press), was published last year. “At its heart, Subduction is all about stories — the stories that constitute personal, family and cultural identity and, perhaps more important here, the stories that people tell, about themselves and to themselves, to make life meaningful and livable…there are passages of quiet beauty, deep emotion and sharp observation.” — The Washington Post. Subduction received a lot of praise in this corner of the country, but this is also the ‘other’ Washington chiming in there. Kristen Millares Young has also recently edited the anthology, Seismic, with pieces by Seattle writers on Seattle’s place in the (literary) world, published in conjunction with Seattle UNESCO City of Literature.

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