I am the author of Holy Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing (Oxford University Press, 2013; 2016), and of articles for The Guardian, The Sunday Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, Salon.com, and Time.com.  Holy Sh*t appeared on The Guardian bestseller list, and has been called “wonderfully witty” (The Sunday Times), “intelligent and enjoyable” (WSJ), “surprising and delightful” (The Guardian), and “just like Hooters, delightfully tacky yet refined” (a satisfied Amazon customer).  It has been translated into Turkish and Korean. 


I have done a lot of radio, from Morning Edition on NPR and shows on the ABC, BBC, and the CBC, to The Red Peters Comedy Music Hour and one in Kansas City where the three hosts swore at each other for 20 minutes and the program that as broadcast was nothing but me answering questions and a series of bleeps.  I have also appeared on Australian TV and given numerous talks in the US and Britain.  I received a PhD from Stanford University in Medieval and Renaissance English Literature, but left academia to write for a wider audience.  You can hear me talk about the history of swearing here.  And you can watch my advice to moms about swearing here.  

Why I am in the desert?  This is the best picture of me that I've got!

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