Melissa Febos

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Melissa Febos

Melissa Febos (born September 28, 1980) is an American writer and former dominatrix. She is the author of Whip Smart (2010), a memoir of her work as a professional dominatrix while she was studying at The New School.

Early life and education

Febos grew up in Falmouth, Massachusetts. Her father was a sea captain, and her mother a therapist. She left home at sixteen after passing the GED, moved to Boston, and work at an assortment of jobs including as a boatyard hand and as a chambermaid. She attended night courses at Harvard Extension School, then enrolled in The New School and moved to New York City in August 1999. She later earned an MFA at Sarah Lawrence College.

Career

Febos is the co-curator, with Rebecca Keith, of the monthly Mixer Reading and Music series on the Lower East Side. A three-time MacDowell Colony fellow, she has received fellowships from Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Vermont Studio Center, and the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. Her essays have won awards from Prairie Schooner and StoryQuarterly, and she is on the Board of Directors of Vida: Women in Literary Arts. She has taught at SUNY Purchase College, the Gotham Writers' Workshop, The New School, Sarah Lawrence College, New York University, and Utica College. She currently teaches at Monmouth University.

Febos has contributed to publications such as The New York Times, Salon, Bomb (magazine), Hunger Mountain, Prairie Schooner, The Kenyon Review, Post Road, Dissent, The Southeast Review, Redivider, The Rambler, The Huffington Post, Bitch Magazine and The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Media

Whip Smart resulted in a front-page appearance on the cover of the New York Post, a feature interview on NPR's radio program Fresh Air with Terry Gross, a guest appearance on Anderson Cooper's talk show, and an appearance on CNN's Dr. Drew show.

External links

• Official webpage
• Facebook author page