Maggie Werner, Stripped: Reading the Erotic Body

On March 15, 2021, 3:30 – 5:10 pm, Firestorm Books and Amanda Wray (UNC Asheville, English Department) will host a virtual discussion with Maggie Werner, author of Stripped: Reading the Erotic Body published by Penn State UP in 2020. Werner’s ethnography-based research “examines the ways in which erotic bodies communicate in performance and as cultural figures,” looking particularly at how embodied rhetoric is produced through “the signs and signals of erotic dance [and] audience responses to these codes.”

In Stripped, Werner analyzes the movement, dress, and cosmetic choices of topless dancers and neo-burlesque performers. Her Firestorm talk will showcase the voices of performers and invite us to learn more about sex worker rights and resources, including connecting with local rights activist group OurVoice. Audience participation is encouraged, and the event will be moderated by UNC Asheville Gender and Sexuality (WGSS 100) students.

You can purchase Dr. Werner’s book through Firestorm Books in Asheville.

Register for the event here.