Sunday, September 18, 2022 @ 4:00 pm EDT - 5:00 pm EDT
Cynthia Davis Book Launch and Q&A
Join The Muse Writers Center for a reading by Cynthia Davis from her new book, Intersexion: A Story of Faith, Identity, and Authenticity. After the reading, there will be a Q&A and book signing. This event will be held in person at The Muse and copies of the book will be available for purchase. Proof of vaccination is required to attend. See the Muse’s current Covid-19 policies.
“Intersexion is a reminder that in a world fighting for black and white answers, authenticity is most often found in a variety of colors and hues. Danny and Cynthia’s story shows that the journey toward acceptance can in one moment bring about absolute freedom and in the next crushing loss. This is not simply a memoir, but a direct challenge for all of us to live unafraid of who we truly are.”
—Matt Kendziera, host of Chasing Goodness Podcast
About the book:
Intersexion: A Story of Faith, Identity, and Authenticity is a deeply human story about choosing between social acceptance or health, fear or authentic friendship.
What happens when a teenage girl hits puberty, drops a testicle, grows a penis, develops breasts, gets a period and tells no one? What if years later this person finally confides in an insecure ally who has her own secret: a life-changing promotion with a catch—her signature on a document labeling sexual minorities as “repugnant” and “offensive”?
Intersexion is a life-giving true story that plays out at the tense and tenuous intersection of identity and religion. Cynthia, an adjunct professor with a trunk full of ungraded papers and snack wrappers, has been an LGBTQIA+ ally for years—in convenient ways. She enjoys the company of her queer friends—but her support isn’t risky; it hasn’t cost her anything. Until she meets Dani. The youngest child in a conservative evangelical family, Dani knows that playing the role of dutiful daughter is safer than jeopardizing faith and family with a norm-defying body that seems an affront to both. Born visibly female, yet desperate to be seen as the boy he truly is, Dani relies on prayer and magical thinking, until his life depends on one thing: the truth. A middle ground was no longer an option for either of them.
Told in both Dani’s and Cynthia’s voices, Intersexion is a harrowing, hopeful exploration of the cost of coming out—as an intersex minority, ally of a minority, or asker of difficult questions—and what it means to come into one’s own. It’s a book for anyone craving a more authentic life, and a story about the intersections we find ourselves in by no choice of our own.
About the Author:
Cynthia Vacca Davis (she/her) is a semi-salty adjunct English professor with a trunk full of papers and snack wrappers. She holds an MFA in creative nonfiction, leads workshops, has written hundreds of feature stories, and has two independently published young adult novels, The Chrysalis and Drink the Rain. When she’s not home in coastal VA with her husband, pets, and students, she can often be found French Quarter of New Orleans in search of jazz and parades. Subscribe to her newsletter or follow her on social media at https://www.cynthiavaccadavis.com.
Please note: This class or event is in-person and will be held at our center.