The Editors Challenging the Way We Think About Desire

Margot Kahn and Kelly McMasters’s new book about the complexity of female desire deftly covers topics ranging from addiction and queer sex to shoplifting and motherhood.

Margot Kahn and Kelly McMasters are a perfectly matched editing team. They first worked together on a collection of essays about home, This is the Place, and their complementary relationship has lent itself well to their latest collaboration, Wanting: Women Writing About Desire. Wanting presents a nuanced, comprehensive picture of female desire, and, as this anthology demonstrates, desire does not look the same for everyone. By placing conflicting voices, styles and topics side by side, Margot and Kelly skillfully embrace this complexity and deepen our understanding of want. Since its release in February, Wanting has received overwhelming praise, and it’s easy to see why. We recently spoke with Margot — who is currently a guest editor for Narratively — and Kelly over Zoom about their editing process, the way an anthology form can create meaningful dialogue and how their own desires have changed while working on the book.