Emily LaBarge’s Life Stories

Emily LaBarge’s new book Dog Days marks a pivotal moment in her career, blending elements of memoir and criticism into a unique form of literary inquiry. Published in July 2026, the book explores the intersection of personal experience and artistic critique, drawing upon LaBarge’s extensive engagement with feminist art and literature. Through a series of reflective essays, she examines the role of the critic in shaping narratives about art and identity, while simultaneously revealing aspects of her own life and thought processes. The work is positioned within a broader tradition of writers who blur the boundaries between self and subject, such as Maggie Nelson and Olivia Laing, whose works similarly intertwine personal history with cultural analysis. LaBarge’s previous writings have focused on the contributions of female artists and writers active during the late 20th century, particularly those aligned with second-wave feminism. Among the figures she has frequently referenced are Helen Frankenthaler, Rosemary Mayer, Francesca Woodman, Chantal Akerman, Ana Mendieta, Vivian Gornick, Natalia Ginzburg, Susan Howe, and Sandra Lahire. These writers and artists represent a generation that challenged traditional gender roles and expanded the possibilities of creative expression. In Dog Days, LaBarge extends her critical gaze beyond these familiar figures, turning her attention to the nature of nonfiction itself. She investigates how writers construct meaning through narrative, memory, and interpretation, using her own lived experiences as a lens through which to examine the craft of writing. The book employs experimental memoir techniques, incorporating fragmented storytelling, lyrical prose, and introspective reflection. By doing so, LaBarge positions herself within a lineage of writers who have long blurred the lines between personal testimony and scholarly analysis. This approach echoes the work of Joan Didion and Vivian Gornick, two writers whose influence is evident in the structure and tone of Dog Days. Both Didion and Gornick are cited in the book’s epigraphs, alongside philosopher Judith Butler, underscoring the interdisciplinary nature of LaBarge’s project. While Didion’s work is often characterized by its detached observational style, Gornick’s writing is marked by its deep emotional resonance and sustained engagement with literary texts. LaBarge seems to draw inspiration from both, crafting a text that is both analytical and deeply personal. A key element of Dog Days is its dialogue with other writers who have explored similar thematic concerns. LaBarge references Maggie Nelson’s The Red Parts and Olivia Laing’s The Lonely City, both of which employ autobiographical elements to explore broader cultural and historical contexts. In particular, LaBarge draws parallels between her own reflections on identity and creativity and the ways in which Nelson and Laing navigate the tension between individual experience and collective memory. She also engages with the work of the Scottish psychiatrist R.D. Laing, whose theories on the fragmentation of the self resonate with the book’s central themes. Throughout Dog Days, LaBarge revisits her earlier reviews and essays, including her assessment of Vivian Gornick’s 2021 memoir Unfinished Business: Notes of a Chronic Re-Reader. In that review, Gornick writes, “We are all patchwork and collage, haunted for better or worse by our experiences and ideas, and how we have tried to reckon with them, in life and in writing.” This passage serves as a prelude to LaBarge’s own exploration of the relationship between personal history and artistic production. By returning to this idea, she underscores the enduring relevance of Gornick’s insights and situates her own work within a continuum of literary inquiry. As LaBarge continues to develop her voice as a writer, Dog Days represents a bold step forward, a synthesis of critical theory, personal reflection, and artistic experimentation. The book invites readers to reconsider the boundaries between memoir and criticism, offering a compelling meditation on the act of writing itself.