Challenging Narratives About Stripping

Contributors share readings from a new collection of autobiographical essays on stripping and sex work. Hosted by filmmaker Lizzie Borden.

Filmmaker Lizzie Borden, editor of the new anthology, Whorephobia: Strippers on Art, Work and Life, presents readings by the book’s contributors. Filled with poignant, heartfelt, and provocative accounts, the book aims to challenge many of the negative misperceptions around women who strip.

Featuring readings by:

• Jo Weldon


• Jodi Sh. Doff


• Essence Revealed


• Reese Piper


• Lily Burana

To join the event in-person | Doors will open 30 minutes before the program begins. For free events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Priority will be given to those who have registered in advance, but registration does not guarantee admission. All registered seats are released shortly before start time, and seats may become available at that time. A standby line will form 30 minutes before the program.

To join the livestream | A livestream of this event will be available on the NYPL event page. To receive an email reminder shortly in advance of the event, please be sure to register! If you encounter any issues, please join us on NYPL's YouTube channel.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Lizzie Borden is a writer, director, editor, and script consultant. Her film Born in Flames, named one of "The 50 Most Important Independent Films" by Filmmaker magazine, has been shown at countless festivals and theaters domestically and internationally.

Borden also wrote, directed, and produced the controversial independent fiction film, Working Girls, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in the Directors' Fortnight, won a U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Recognition at the Sundance Film Festival, and was restored by the Criterion Collection in 2021. Anthology Film Archives recently restored Borden's long-unseen first film, Regrouping, an experimental documentary about women's groups. Borden is currently in production on Rialto, a feature about women's freedom of choice, set in the early 1950s against the background of McCarthyism.

Lily Burana is the author of five books, including the best-selling memoir Strip City: A Stripper’s Farewell Journey Across America, named a Best Book of the Year by Salon, Entertainment Weekly, and the New York Daily News. Her journalism has appeared in over 50 publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, GQ, and The Los Angeles Times.

Jodi Sh. Doff is a New York-based bad-ass, writer & editor. She frequently includes autobiographical elements of drug use, alcoholism, and the strip clubs and nightlife of New York City’s Times Square. “I write what I know: sex, booze, crime, drugs, lies & Times Square. Also sobriety, truth, mom, & righteous feminist indignation.”

Her work has appeared in commercial publications, literary journals, and anthologies. Among those: Oldster, Hippocampus Journal, drafthorse literary journal, xoJane; O magazine, Bust, Penthouse, and Cosmopolitan; Bearing Life–Women’s Writings On Childlessness; Best American Erotica; The Bust Guide To A New Girl Order; Hos, Hookers, Callgirls & Rentboys. http://onlythejodi.com

Reese Piper is a writer and stripper living in Brooklyn. She writes about laws that impact sex workers, the intersection of sex work and disability, and how autism can express in adults. She is currently working on a memoir about stripping with autism. You can learn more about her work on her website or follow her on Twitter.

Essence Revealed is a crowned international burlesque queen, an Amazon International Best-Selling Author, instructor & speaker. She has traveled internationally leading workshops at festivals and conferences for such social justice organizations like the Sister Song Reproductive Rights Conference in the USA. Educational institutions such as New York University, University of Colorado, Carleton College, Amherst College, and Sarah Lawrence University have hosted discussions, Q&A and workshops designed and led by Essence. A fan of experiential learning, Essence Revealed brings various techniques learned during her MA Program in Educational Theater at NYU’s Steinhardt School of Education. Nonperforming interests include being a volunteer speaker for a Sexual Abuse Awareness Speaker's Bureau.

Jo Weldon is the founder of the New York School of Burlesque and author of The Burlesque Handbook and Fierce: The History of Leopard Print. She has been a sex worker since 1980. As a sex workers' rights activist and advocate, for over 30 years she has spoken with law enforcement, lobbyists, academics, and the general public to promote the human and labor rights of erotic professionals in every sector. She is currently a scholar in residence at the Center for Research in the Humanities at The New York Public Library, where she is exploring the intersections of sex work with fashion and culture. http://www.joweldon.com

READ THE BOOK:

• Borrow: NYPL Catalog


• E-Book app: SimplyE, available on iOS and Android


• Purchase: The Library Shop — proceeds benefit The New York Public Library

Don't have a New York Public Library card? Get one here!

PROTOCOLS FOR IN-PERSON LIVE FROM NYPL PROGRAMS

Patrons are strongly encouraged to wear a mask at LIVE from NYPL events.

If you have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or suspect you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, please stay home.

ACCESSIBILITY

In-Person | Assistive listening devices and/or hearing loops are available at the venue. You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation or CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation) captioning service by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org or use this Gmail template. This venue is fully accessible to wheelchairs. A visual navigation guide is available here.

Livestream | Captions and a transcript will be provided. Media used over the course of the conversation will be accompanied by alt text and/or audio description. You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org or use this Gmail template.

CONNECT

Please submit all press inquiries to Sara Beth Joren at least 48 hours before the event: email sarabethjoren@nypl.org or use this Gmail template.

For all other questions and inquiries, please email publicprograms@nypl.org or use this Gmail template.

The New York Public Library's free services and resources are made possible thanks to the support of the Friends of the Library. Join this group of Library lovers and take advantage of special membership benefits, like invitations to members-only virtual events, discounts at the Library Shop, and more. Join now.

LIVE from NYPL is made possible by the continuing generosity of Celeste Bartos, Mahnaz Ispahani Bartos and Adam Bartos, the Margaret and Herman Sokol Public Education Endowment Fund, and the support of Library patrons and friends.

This program is made possible by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).

Courtesy Lizzie Borden
Courtesy Lily Burana
Jodi Sh. Doff © Claudia Paul
Courtesy Reese Piper
Essence Revealed © David Dyte
Jo Weldon © Don Spiro