Book Event: Free Love by Michelle Tea

"Tea reminds us that a radical, expanded life might also be the most stable and sustaining life." - Miranda July

We are excited to welcome back Michelle Tea for an event to celebrate the release of Free Love! For this event, Michelle will be joined in conversation by Vera Blossom.

A revelatory and wildly entertaining chronicle of polyamory, from PEN/America Award winner, Guggenheim fellow, and beloved literary and tarot icon Michelle Tea.

In recent years, polyamory has become a topic of fascination for the general public, but it has long enjoyed a great deal of popularity in many subcultures formerly deemed “underground” or “alternative.” Having been a member of these communities for years, Michelle Tea explores the complexity, beauty and affirmation of this practice with candor, humor, and deep appreciation. Combining her prodigious skills as a storyteller, deep research, and the kind of gonzo reporting that has earned her scores of dedicated readers, Tea takes us into the lives and hearts of those who are creating new relationship systems and forms of honest, ethical communication.

Infused with the warmth and introspection that inform all of her various artistic practices, Free Love is Tea’s clarion call for greater visibility, acceptance, and a kinder, more sensual world. It is an unforgettable narrative from one of our most spirited ethnographers.

Michelle Tea is the author of over 20 books of memoir, essay, poetry, fiction, YA and children's literature, most recently, Free Love: Adventures in Marriage and Polyamory. Said Miranda July, "This is the polyamory book I've always ewanted." Tea has been awarded honors and fellowships from the California Library Association, the Guggenheim Foundation, Lambda Literary Foundation, Loghaven, MacDowell, an unnamed literary orgainization being necessarily boycotted for their shitty stance on Palestine, the Rona Jaffe Foundation and Yaddo. Tea frequently teaches on the similarities and exchanges between writing practices and magical practices. She is Founding Editor of DOPAMINE Books, an innovative publishing collaboration with Semiotext(e).

Vera Blossom is the author of How To Fuck Like a Girl from Dopamine press. She is a proud Filipina, a trans femme monster, and is happy to call Chicago her home. She is a big fan of being gay, reading gay books, and talking to gay people.

Accessibility: This event is hosted at the bookstore, which is a wheelchair accessible space. Masks are strongly encouraged for this event but not required. We have one industrial air purifier, two smaller air purifiers, and four ceiling fans throughout our space. Seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. To request ASL interpretation for this event, please email events@womenandchildrenfirst.com by no later than 14 days before the event. For other access needs please email events@womenandchildrenfirst.com.