Juliana Gleeson: Listening Like a Girl (preorder)

Pluto Press, 2026, softcover, 224 pages, 12.7 x 20.3 cm

The idea of femininity changes across time and place. Socially arranged while individually experienced, some reduce it to the curves of the body, or the length of haircuts. For others, it is registered in heightened emotional responsiveness: a unique sensitivity and openness. For many, femininity implies passivity.

In Listening Like a Girl, Juliana Gleeson argues that the feminine are defined by the act of listening, often listening more intently than those speaking do to themselves. While listening is widely understood as a form of passivity, it hides its latent power as a highly skilled and competent act, capable of quietly undercutting sexist assumptions.

Gleeson unfolds this core observation into a tour through all the senses. She introduces the reader to feminine icons from pop singer Troye Sivan to rival poets H.D. and Marianne Moore. Providing insights on diverse topics, from house music to surrealist paintings, the book offers a fresh vision of the feminine as both a personal and collective quality.