In this episode of Book Banter with Rayna, we talk with author Julia Ridley Smith about her sharp, funny, and insightful new book, Sex Romp Gone Wrong. We dig into the stories behind the title, the humor and heart that shape her characters, plus we talk about some of the books we're reading now.

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Julia Ridley Smith is the author of Sex Romp Gone Wrong (Blair), a short story collection, and The Sum of Trifles (University of Georgia Press), a memoir about cleaning out her antique-dealer parents’ house, grief, and what the objects we live with mean to us. Her work has appeared in The Cincinnati Review, Ecotone, Electric Literature, the Missouri Review, New England Review, The Southern Review, and elsewhere. Smith teaches creative writing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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In her debut story collection, Julia Ridley Smith navigates the currents and eddies of desire, sex, love, and relationships. These twelve highly accomplished stories are witty and accessible, intelligent and thought-provoking. A girls' week at the beach prompts hot tub drinking, awkward confessions, and a poignant reconsideration of friendship. A caregiver extracts a small repayment from her elderly patient for his long-forgotten role in the demise of her family. A young woman, new to New York City, finds herself in a complex but tacky love affair and reckons with the unfolding plot of her life. In the title story, a woman plots to conceive a second child while at a convention hotel with her husband and teenage daughter, both of whom have other plans. Smith's stories will beguile and delight readers while at the same time exploring the deep and often difficult ties of family, marriage, and romantic love in modern life.

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Purchase Julia Ridley Smith's books here: https://bookshop.org/lists/book-banter-guests

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Book Banter is a laid-back conversational interview with authors, illustrators, creators and other bookish folks.

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