Can a British biologist reinvent himself as a sex guru in California? That's just one of the surreal stories in this groundbreaking collection of nonfiction lit. In the title piece, Alex Comfort, author of The Joy of Sex, hatches a plan to destroy monogamy forever. In the stories that follow, Kennedy documents other visionaries bent on remaking the world. A retired chemist finds a way to turn a wasteland into paradise - but there's a catch. An aspiring tyrant tries to become the Emperor of America. An artist rigs himself up to a "brain machine" made from parts he bought at Radio Shack. Two of the people profiled in this collection went on to win the MacArthur "genius" award. All of them are as memorable, passionate and poignant as the best characters in literature. In these stories - most of which first appeared in The New York Times Magazine and The Boston Globe Magazine - Kennedy proves that truth is funnier than fiction.

Bio
Pagan Kennedy is the author of ten books in a variety of genres — from cultural history to biography to the novel. A regular contributor to the Boston Globe, she has published articles in dozens of magazines and newspapers, including several sections of the New York Times. A biography titled Black Livingstone made the New York Times Notable list and earned Massachusetts Book Award honors. Her most recent novel was featured in Entertainment Weekly as an "EW pick." Another novel, Spinsters, was short-listed for the Orange Prize. She also has been the recipient of a Barnes and Noble Discover Award, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Fiction, and a Smithsonian Fellowship for science writing.

Keep up to date on SFWP — sign up for our newsletter