The Spotty Dog & OutHudson are thrilled to present an evening with New York Times best-selling author Naomi Wolf in conversation with Hudson favorite Sherry Jo Williams about her new book Outrages: Sex, Censorship, and the Criminalization of Love.

Outrages explores the history of state-sponsored censorship and violations of personal freedoms through the inspiring, forgotten story of one writer’s refusal to stay silenced.

Released for the first time in North America on October 9, Outrages (newly updated and expanded) chronicles the struggles and eventual triumph of John Addington Symonds, a Victorian-era poet, biographer, and critic, who penned what became a foundational text on our modern understanding of human sexual orientation and LGBTQ+ legal rights, despite writing at a time when anything interpreted as homoerotic could be used as evidence in trials leading to harsh sentences under British law.

“[This] remarkable book is a tour de force of research and insight into Symonds’ life and work and the related evolution of public and state attitudes toward homosexuality. [Wolf ’s] is an essential contribution not only to queer history but also to studies of nineteenth-century culture. It is not to be missed.”—Booklist, starred review

NAOMI WOLF ’s most recent books include the New York Times best sellers Vagina, Give Me Liberty, and The End of America, as well as the landmark best seller The Beauty Myth. She completed a doctorate in English Language and Literature from the University of Oxford in 2015 and has taught at The George Washington University and Stony Brook University. Wolf lives in New York City and the Hudson Valley.

Sherry Jo Williams is experienced in curation, design marketing and fundraising, journalism and community engagement. She is the founder and creative director of culture+commerce project, an on-line gallery providing design services and representation for regional makers of custom furniture and lighting.  She has served on a variety of non-proﬁt boards based in the Hudson Valley, and is committed to making the world a more inclusive and better designed place for all.

Naomi Wolf In Conversation About Her New Book, Outrages