Vera Blossom’s book debut How to F**k Like a Girl isn’t a typical collection of essays. It’s a raw exploration of gender, desire and the chaotic, unapologetic process of self-discovery. The Chicago-based Filipina transfemme writer, known for her newsletter also titled How to F**k Like a Girl, dives deep into the tension between culture’s tight-laced leanings and the truth of trans lives.
What began as frustration with the sanitized narratives surrounding trans bodies evolved into a book that’s equal parts confessional and manifesto, while being wildly entertaining. The collection draws inspiration from queer zine culture, while reading like a polished blog entry—personal, poetic and sharply critical. With a nine-day book tour and a return to Las Vegas, Blossom proves her voice has the kind of refreshing honesty and urgency that demands attention.
During a Zoom call between Vegas and Blossom’s Chicago home, we swapped stories of growing up in the chaos of Sin City, how the book came to be and what it feels like to shed your skin.
How and when did you decide to grow the How to F**k Like A Girl newsletter in this collection of essays?
Well, the simple answer is that Michelle Tea was in the process of starting a new publisher [Dopamine] and she said, “Do you have a book I can publish?” and I said I didn’t, but I can.
I initially started the newsletter because I felt frustrated with the puritanical bend that I saw our culture going towards. Coming out of my upbringing in the 2010s, there was this narrative of trans people where gender and sexuality were separate and that’s how we’re going to educate the masses about what transgender people experience. It sort of created this paradigm where trans people are defanged and almost de-sexed, where it’s not about sex, it’s about how you feel on the inside and obviously those are intertwined.
What was the writing process like for the book? Did it feel like purging in a way?
Oh my god, purging is such a good word. There was a huge purging process that happened. There was a lot of reconciliation of my past, present, and really digging through the trenches of my memories and going places that I felt I left behind. It felt like a big upheaval spiritually and mentally.
Were there certain essays or passages you opted to keep in the vault?
There are definitely a couple … there’s a draft that was so not raw and vulnerable. When I was presented with this opportunity to write a book, I thought I had to be smart. I thought I had to write a good book that would impress everyone. My mentor, who was helping me edit the book a bit, Tanaïs [Tanwi Nandini Islam] was like, obviously you’re smart, but what if it was fun? That really healed me and let me loose.
Since moving to Chicago, what parts of Vegas have followed you?
Vegas is with me everywhere, forever. It’s tough to grow up in Vegas as anyone who lives there for any amount of time knows, it’s just a hard place to be, but it’s also so f**king magical.
I feel that’s in my writing, too. I like to entertain. I want to shock you. I want to make you laugh.But I also want to be honest and I want to show you the vulnerable side, the darker side, and the grittier side of who I am and of my life. I feel like that is liberating to say that both of those things can be true.
Click HERE to subscribe for free to the Weekly Fix, the digital edition of Las Vegas Weekly! Stay up to date with the latest on Las Vegas concerts, shows, restaurants, bars and more, sent directly to your inbox!
