“I was in the girls’ bathroom forever.”

The first sentence of I Must Have You (SkyHorse Publishing, 2017) by JoAnna Novak ’07

Novak’s kaleidoscope of 1990s America, filled with vibrant imagery from Riot Grrrl graffiti to Michael Jordan posters, is a harrowing story of addiction and obsession that reflects the complexities of girlhood and womanhood.

— Joanna Novak '07 has written fiction, essays, poetry, and criticism for publications including Salon, Guernica, BOMB, The Rumpus, Conjunctions, and Joyland. Her work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net Award. She received her MFA in fiction from Washington University and her MFA in poetry from University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is a co-founder of the literary journal and chapbook publisher, Tammy. I Must Have You is Novak's first book. She lives in Los Angeles.