Dear Listener,

What do you do to feel comfortable at the end of a long day? Personally, I've been binge-watching Emily in Paris. If you, like me, get recommended “quirky” and “character-driven” comedy series on your streaming platform of choice then you might try Torrey Peters’ Detransition, Baby. I recommended this book to Rachel last year, shortly after it came out, and we’ve been talking about it ever since.

Last fall, in the vaccinated false spring between Delta and Omicron, Rachel met Torrey Peters at her apartment in Greenpoint to talk about Detransition, Baby and what she’s working on now. They also discussed: trans women writing for trans women; their shared experience of attending the Iowa Writers’ Workshop; divorce, transition, and other ruptures; reading and writing across differences; and adapting Detransition, Baby for television.

Torrey Peters is the author of the novel Detransition, Baby, published by One World/Random House, which was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. She is also the author of the novellas Infect Your Friends and Loved Ones and The Masker. She has an MFA from the University of Iowa and an MA in Comparative Literature from Dartmouth. Torrey rides a pink motorcycle and splits her time between Brooklyn and an off-grid cabin in Vermont.

For this episode, Commonplace’s charitable partner will donate $250 to Trans Equity Consulting, chosen by Torrey Peters. Trans Equity Consulting is committed to building the leadership of trans women of color, and to the centering of sex workers, immigrants, and incarcerated peoples as experts in creating a more just world.

In the coming months lookout for additional conversations with Douglas Kearney, Liz Lerman, lecturers from the Bagley Wright Lecture Series, and more.

And if you’re new here, don’t forget to sign up for our Patreon. As a thank you, we’ll send you three books of your choice from our Commonplace Book Club (while supplies last). Active patrons can also participate by referring friends!

Join the discussion! You can Tweet at us, DM us on Instagram, leave us a voice message on Speakpipe at (123) 456-7890, or just reply to this email with your thoughts on this episode.

As always, thank you for listening and for your support!

Love and solidarity,

Valentine & the Commonplace Team