Childfree Conversation
A reproductive-rights novel and a running set of essays on autonomy, identity, and the assumptions baked into the way we talk about parenthood.
The novel
The Age of the Child imagines what happens after the repeal of Roe v. Wade — and what happens in the generation after that. The Baby Matrix author Laura Carroll calls it "provocative"; a Goodreads reviewer calls it "scathing social commentary."
- Read more about The Age of the Child →
- Listen to the NPR Colin McEnroe Show episode →
- Reviewer J. S. Crail says it promises to "rile up your book clubs." ("Perfect for book clubs," agrees Casualties author Elizabeth Marro.)
Selected essays
A running collection of essays that take up the conversation directly — autonomy, the language we use about pregnancy and parenthood, and the cultural pressure to align.
- Hoping to "Succeed" at Writing? (What Is "Failure"?)
- Do Women Enjoy Being the Weaker Sex (More than Just Physically)?
- I Am More than My Looks! (But still, I'm beautiful, right?)
- Right, Like a Man: On the Power of Gender in an Author's Name
Elsewhere
Kristen writes regularly on Medium and Substack. She interviews writers for JaneFriedman.com — see Inside the Writers' Studio.