In "Bad Feminist," her 2014 book of essays, Roxane Gay laid out a wise, funny and deeply empathetic vision of modern feminism, acceptance and identity — flaws and all.

Why you should listen

Roxane Gay is a novelist and essayist whose online essays you've probably had forwarded to you by someone you adore. Collected in the 2014 book Bad Feminist, they posit a world where (gasp!) we can actually talk honestly about searching for identity, being less than perfect, and thinking hard on privilege and acceptance. Kira Cochrane in The Guardian puts it correctly: "In print, on Twitter and in person, Gay has the voice of the friend you call first for advice, calm and sane as well as funny, someone who has seen a lot and takes no prisoners."

Roxane Gay’s TED talk

More news and ideas from Roxane Gay

In Brief

An ambitious plan to explore our oceans, and more news from TED speakers

June 15, 2018

  The past few weeks have brimmed over with TED-related news. Below, some highlights. Exploring the ocean like never before. A school of ocean-loving TED speakers have teamed up to launch OceanX, an international initiative dedicated to discovering more of our oceans in an effort to “inspire a human connection to the sea.” The coalition […]

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Ideas

What’s the definition of feminism? 12 talks that explain it to you

December 24, 2017

Earlier this month, Merriam-Webster announced that 2017’s word of the year is feminism. Searches for the word on the dictionary website spiked throughout the year, beginning in January around the Women’s March, again after Kellyanne Conway said in an interview that she didn’t consider herself a feminist, and during some of feminism’s many pop culture […]

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