ThoughtGallery.org > 112th: Meghan Flaherty on Tango Lessons

112th: Meghan Flaherty on Tango Lessons

Meghan Flaherty will be joined in conversation by Jaime Green.

From a dazzling new literary voice, a debut memoir about a young woman learning to dance tango, becoming comfortable in her own skin and in the arms of others

Tango was an unlikely choice for Meghan Flaherty. A young woman living with the scars of past trauma, she was terrified of being touched and shied away from real passion. But by her late twenties, she knew something had to change. She dug up an old dream and tried on her dancing shoes.

In tango, there’s a leader and a follower, and, traditionally, the woman follows. As Meghan moved from beginner classes to the late-night dance halls of New York’s vibrant tango underground, she discovered that more than any footwork, the hardest and most essential lesson of the dance was to follow with strength and agency; to find her balance, regardless of the lead. And as she broke her own rule–never mix romance and tango–she started to apply those lessons in every corner of her life.

Written in wry, lyrical prose, and beautifully enriched by the vivid history and culture of the dance, Tango Lessons is a transformative story of conquering your fears, living your dreams, and enjoying the dizzying freedom found in the closest embrace.

Meghan Flaherty has an MFA in nonfiction from Columbia University. Her essays and criticism have appeared in the Rumpus, the New Inquiry, and the Iowa Review. She lives in Palo Alto, California, and Tango Lessons is her first book.

Jaime Green is a freelance writer and editor. She has written about books and culture for Slate, BuzzFeed, Vulture, GQ.com, Electric Literature, and The New York Times.











When: Wed., Jun. 20, 2018 at 7:00 pm
Where: Book Culture
536 W. 112th St.
212-865-1588
Price: Free
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Meghan Flaherty will be joined in conversation by Jaime Green.

From a dazzling new literary voice, a debut memoir about a young woman learning to dance tango, becoming comfortable in her own skin and in the arms of others

Tango was an unlikely choice for Meghan Flaherty. A young woman living with the scars of past trauma, she was terrified of being touched and shied away from real passion. But by her late twenties, she knew something had to change. She dug up an old dream and tried on her dancing shoes.

In tango, there’s a leader and a follower, and, traditionally, the woman follows. As Meghan moved from beginner classes to the late-night dance halls of New York’s vibrant tango underground, she discovered that more than any footwork, the hardest and most essential lesson of the dance was to follow with strength and agency; to find her balance, regardless of the lead. And as she broke her own rule–never mix romance and tango–she started to apply those lessons in every corner of her life.

Written in wry, lyrical prose, and beautifully enriched by the vivid history and culture of the dance, Tango Lessons is a transformative story of conquering your fears, living your dreams, and enjoying the dizzying freedom found in the closest embrace.

Meghan Flaherty has an MFA in nonfiction from Columbia University. Her essays and criticism have appeared in the Rumpus, the New Inquiry, and the Iowa Review. She lives in Palo Alto, California, and Tango Lessons is her first book.

Jaime Green is a freelance writer and editor. She has written about books and culture for Slate, BuzzFeed, Vulture, GQ.com, Electric Literature, and The New York Times.

Buy tickets/get more info now