Booksmith is thrilled to host Fancy Feast in conversation with Sam Sax about Feast's book of essays, Naked: On Sex, Work, and Other Burlesques. Join us!

About the book

In Naked, a celebrated burlesque performer, sex educator, and social worker bares it all, with incisive and hilarious essays about selling, performing and consuming desire.

Fancy Feast draws back the curtain to reveal a world that most denizens of the daytime never see. Part exclusive backstage pass, part long-form literary striptease, these essays confront our culture’s tightly held beliefs—like so many clutched pearls—about sex, communication, power, and the messiness of life on the margins of respectability. In “Dildo Lady,” Fancy recounts her time compensating for the failures of the American sex education system while working retail at a sex toy store. In “Doing Yourself,” Fancy tackles fatphobia and dating, self-love, and fantasies. In “Yes/No/Maybe,” Fancy brings the reader from sex parties to polyamorous relationships as she contrasts the undeniable sexiness of enthusiastic consent with the devastating effects of miscommunication and entitlement.

Fancy Feast does this all as a fat woman who makes a living taking off her clothes—a triumphant punch-back at a culture that wants fat people to be self-hating or sexless. For fans of Lindy West and Melissa Febos, Naked is by turns splashy, vulnerable, and always powerful.

Praise for Naked

“With razor-sharp wit, beautifully drawn scenes, and incisive commentary on pleasure, fatness, and performance, Fancy Feast digs into the American psyche and offers revelations about our collective fears and obsessions. The writing is both hysterical and breathtaking, just like her act!” – Tristan Taormino, sex educator and author of The Ultimate Guide to Kink

“A funny and poignant exploration of sex, desire, and performance. Naked is sexy, sharp, and full of heart.” –Tracy Clark-Flory, author of Want Me

“I've known Fancy as a fierce performer—but now I’d had the privilege of being slayed by her words. Her stories are insightful, playful, and beautifully written. How lucky are we to have such intimate access to this beauty?!” – Roz the Diva

“These essays on sex, work, sex work, and sexy work reads like a dream – it’s harder to put down than a beach novel. Fancy Feast proves that the worlds so often described as ‘hidden’ are only obscured by viewers’ preconceptions and fears. She humanizes as she titillates, and shows compassion for those who want to see but are afraid of what they'll find out about themselves. Above all, she gives permission to look.” – Jo Weldon, founder of the New York School of Burlesque and author of The Burlesque Handbook

"If Fancy’s memoir was just a diary of her life as a burlesque performer in New York City, it would be stunning enough, but it’s more: Fancy turns the readers’ gaze back at themselves with a clear and incisive mirror, from watching sex shop customers hit each other with soft packs, to pancakes in bed with lovers forced to confront their own fatphobia. Like sitting down for an intimate show and standing up changed, Naked deserves an ovation for stripping the audience’s assumptions down to the pasties." – Samantha Cole, author of How Sex Changed the Internet and the Internet Changed Sex

About the authors

Fancy Feast is a Brooklyn-based burlesque performer, writer, and sex educator. She holds the title of Miss Coney Island 2016 and is the recipient of the Revolutionary Award at the 2017 New York Burlesque Festival. She has performed at venues including The Whitney, the Brooklyn Museum, St. Ann's Warehouse, the Metropolitan Opera, and Meow Wolf in Santa Fe. She is the subject of Leon Chase's documentary, Character NYC. Her burlesque work has been profiled on NPR, Refinery29, and The Huffington Post. Her debut book, Naked: On Sex, Work, and Other Burlesques, will be published in October 2023 by Algonquin Books. Photo by Adrian Buckmaster.

Sam Sax is the author of PIG (2023, Scribner), Yr Dead (2024, McSweeney’s), Madness, and Bury It. Sam's received fellowships from The NEA, Poetry Foundation,The Academy of American Poets, Yaddo, and is currently serving as an ITALIC Lecturer at Stanford University. Photo courtesy the artist.

Please note:

• Masks will not be required for this event, but we are limiting capacity somewhat. For that reason, we can't guarantee we'll have space for walk-ins. The best way to ensure you’ll get a seat is to order the Book + Seat ticket. Free seats for this event have all been reserved, but if we do not sell out in advance any remaining tickets will be available at no charge on a first come, first served basis, with walk-ins having no guarantee of admission. To be the first to know about our events, sign up for our newsletter.
• We are happy to offer *signed copies* of Naked: order a Book + Seat ticket bundle if you'd like to pick up a signed copy at the event, or order here if you just want a signed copy and no admission.
• You can order Sam's books here.
• Safety protocols are subject to change. If we feel it is not safe to gather, as the event gets closer, we will pivot to a virtual event and your registration will remain valid.
• Questions? Write tickets@booksmith.com.