Discipline/Field: Creative Nonfiction

Based in: New York, NY

About: Recent UC Riverside MFA graduate, Natassja Schiel, completed her thesis work under the close tutelage of Emily Rapp Black. As a Redesign Resident she will be finishing the memoir about her time working as an exotic dancer on the island of Guam. Her fascinating story debunks common myths about exotic dancers and the lifestyle of stripping while also addressing the sociopolitical history of a people and a place.

Project Title: Tumon Strip is, at its core, a story about the many ways that patriarchy and colonialism have taken over all kinds of bodies. The bodies of women, people of color, and land. 

Relevant link: www.natassjas.com