Kellogg Writers Series- Melissa Fraterrigo

Bio:

Melissa Fraterrigo is the author of the forthcoming memoir in essays, The Perils of Girlhood (University of Nebraska Press, September 2025) and also the novel Glory Days (University of Nebraska Press, fall 2017) and the short story collection The Longest Pregnancy (Livingston Press). Her fiction and nonfiction has appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies from Shenandoah and The Massachusetts Review to Story South and Notre Dame Review. She has been a finalist for awards from Glimmer Train on multiple occasions, twice nominated for Pushcart Awards, and was the winner of the Sam Adams/Zoetrope: All Story Short Fiction Contest. She teaches creative writing at Purdue University and in the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Butler University in Indianapolis. She also offers instruction on the art and craft of writing at the Lafayette Writers’ Studio in Lafayette, Indiana. 

The Perils of Girlhood Book Description:

Like many girls growing up in the eighties and nineties, Melissa Fraterrigo leaned on popular culture to transition from childhood to adolescence and beyond. Judy Blume told stories about girls embracing their imperfections and Madonna encouraged bold moves. But Fraterrigo’s experiences with dating and attempts to refashion her body through diet and exercise left her feeling far from empowered. 

It wasn’t until Fraterrigo became a mother to twin daughters and they began their own self-criticisms that she questioned how she might help them navigate their own girlhoods. 

 A handsome swim coach’s advances, an anxious daughter soothes her father’s temper, the history of Mace, and a college student’s frightening harassment are some of the memories that shape Fraterrigo’s worldview as an adult. The Perils of Girlhood shows how the subconscious messages that wrought a generation played out in one life and also celebrates the friendships that make every stage of the journey worthwhile. Written with lyricism and insight, these personal narratives provide a reckoning and a reclamation. And while they developed from Fraterrigo’s desire to guide her daughters, they speak universal truths that compel us to consider how best to bring all of our daughters into the future.

All events are free and open to the public!

All events are LP credit certified for University of Indianapolis students!