A Brief History of Sex Education
An Interview
with author Kate Flaherty

In “A Brief History of Sex Education,” Kate Flaherty touches on several large and encompassing issues, such as self-image and the role sexuality plays in our lives.  Even though she feels that writing is an important means for self-discovery, it must be more than that to be successful for a wide audience. 

“I despise writing that comes off as self-absorbed without any other redeeming qualities,” she asserts. “I do recognize, however, that self-absorption has its benefits. For example, Annie Dillard digs deep into her own psyche and her life with her writing, but I always feel like she’s still connected to the outside world and to her readers. Another example is Creative Nonfiction’s editor, Lee Gutkind, who is able to take an interest he has, like with transplant doctors or with motorcycles, and then almost entirely remove himself in his writing so that the focus of his self-discovery isn't himself, but the subject of his fascination. What this means is that as a writer I don’t have to follow that mantra, ‘Write what you know.’ If I can’t write what I know, there is a whole world out there that I can shadow and write about. As long as self-discovery doesn’t lead to self-absorption, I think it’s a great motivator for good writing.”

Flaherty enjoys writing in the short form and the challenges it provides. “I like having to stick to a small word count,” she explains. “I force myself to cut out the fluff, all the tangential information that ultimately would take away from the theme. I love reading essays both long and short, but I’m always a little more impressed by a writer who can convey an emotional punch with a short piece. I love the medium of radio—the short commentaries I hear on “All Things Considered” or “Morning Edition” or the short pieces on “This American Life”—they have to stick to 2 or 3 minutes and hold your attention.  I think those essays are great.”

Flaherty does not have a set formula for how many drafts it will take her to write an essay.  Instead, she claims, “The length of my drafting process has a lot to do with how honest I’ve been with my first draft. It can be difficult to tell the whole truth at first, to tell everything necessary for a good essay, but sometimes it takes a while for that truth to come out.”

“A Brief History of Sex Education” changed very little from its original version. “I happened to be at a very confident time in my life when I wrote it and I was unafraid of what I was sharing. It also helps that it’s a humorous essay. It’s easier to be truthful when you’re laughing at yourself and your hang-ups. Other essays I’ve written that are a little more dark or that deal with subjects I’m not as confident about sharing have taken years to revise.”

—Corey Ginsber