Julia Rothman and Shaina Feinberg on People’s Sex Stories

Julia Rothman and Shaina Feinberg join host Tristan Taormino to talk about the book they co-created Every Body: An Honest and Open Look at Sex From Every Angle. In it, they collected hundreds of stories about sex both anonymously and credited which they share in this delightful book. It covers every conceivable topic from first times to hook ups to mental health and polyamory to BDSM and pegging. They talk about the process of collecting the stories, which included asking strangers on the street to share their sex stories. They discuss the challenges, joy, and takeaways from the process of talking to so many people about their sex lives. For Julia, she felt less alone after collecting all the interviews. Shaina said the book “changed her brain.” Find out why.

Julia Rothman and Shaina Feinberg are constant collaborators. Their illustrated column, Scratch, runs every other Sunday in The New York Times. They have also collaborated on illustrated stories for The New Yorker, Topic and other publications. Julia is the author and/or illustrator of twelve books, including Nature Anatomy, Ladies Drawing Night, and Hello, New York. In 2017, she cofounded, with Wendy MacNoughton, Women Who Draw, an open directory of female-identifying illustrators, artists, and cartoonists. Shaina is a writer/director who has created content for the The New York Times, IFC, Audible, Refinery29, First Look Media, This American Life, and BRICTV. Both Shaina and Julia live in Brooklyn.

Thanks to Calm and Pour Moi for their support of this episode.