Detroit Author Shares the Art of ‘Pleasure Activism’ in Latest Book

How do we make justice and liberation the most pleasurable experiences we have with each other? ‘Pleasure Activism’ explores this question and more.

Author and activist adrienne maree brown’s most recent book, “Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good” is a call-to-action to remind us that seeking out what feels good is not only enjoyable, but it has the potential to fuel social and political revolution. 

“I’ve heard people say, ‘We have to thrive.’ It’s not just thrive,” says brown. “There’s something delightful to being alive and being conscious of all that’s available and choosing pleasure.”

“We say that we care about each other and yet it feels so judgmental and controlling. It doesn’t feel like pleasure.” – adrienne maree brown, author

AK Press
AK Press

 

“Pleasure Activism,” brown’s follow-up to “Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds,” flew to the top of the New York Times bestseller list this year, putting the multi-hyphenate writer at the forefront of national conversations about how to attain pleasure in a tension-filled world.  

“Having done movement work for most of my adult life, I’ve been in so many spaces where I was like, this should feel good. We’re on the right side of justice,” brown says. “We say that we care about each other and yet it feels so judgmental and controlling. It doesn’t feel like pleasure. Or the pleasure is very fleeting. It’s the moment and not our daily identity of being in movement with each other.”

Click the player above to hear CultureShift interview brown about how the author’s life has changed since the release of the book.

Interview: Amanda LeClaire

Post written by: LaToya Cross

Authors

  • LaToya Cross
  • Amanda LeClaire
    Amanda LeClaire is an award-winning host and producer of CultureShift on 101.9 WDET-FM Detroit’s NPR station. She’s a founding producer of WDET’s flagship news talk show Detroit Today, and a former host/reporter for Arizona Public Media. Amanda is also an artist, certified intuitive and energy healer, and professional tarot reader.