Tanya is a critically acclaimed author of two books and numerous essays. In 2025, she received a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Residency at Yaddo to work on her third book.

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Assume Nothing:<br>Story of Intimate Violence
Assume Nothing:<br>Story of Intimate Violence

Assume Nothing: A Story of Intimate Violence received widespread media attention with features in the New York Times, People, Good Morning America, Fox News, TIME, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and more.

Crystal prose, precise and calm. A profound ethical clarity. A powerful and essential book.”


- Kiran Desai, Man Booker Prize-winning author of The Inheritance of Loss


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The Big Lie.
The Big Lie.

A candid assessment of the pros and cons of delayed motherhood. Biology does not bend to feminist ideals and science does not work miracles. That is the message of this eye-opening discussion of the consequences of delayed motherhood.

A courageous, deeply personal, and unapologetically feminist exploration of delayed motherhood and infertility. This enlightening and empowering book should be required reading for every woman."


-Hillary Jordan, author of Mudbound and When She Woke


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Essays   

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What Real Reparations Could Look Like for the Exonerated Five
Writing
GLAMOUR
What Real Reparations Could Look Like for the Exonerated Five
Writing
GLAMOUR

By Tanya Selvaratnam
There is more that can be done beyond #CancelLindaFairstein.

Writing
GLAMOUR
Postponing Motherhood: When Does It Actually Become Too Late?
Writing
VOGUE
Postponing Motherhood: When Does It Actually Become Too Late?
Writing
VOGUE

By Tanya Selvaratnam
It’s a tragedy that more career women of my generation are unable to or are choosing not to have kids, because we would be great role models for our kids.

Writing
VOGUE
Opinion: Women don’t need any more Big Lies
Writing
CNN
Opinion: Women don’t need any more Big Lies
Writing
CNN

By Tanya Selvaratnam
In “The Big Lie: Motherhood, Feminism, and the Reality of the Biological Clock,” I explore many Big Lies, one of which is that women can delay motherhood until we’re ready and if we’re not able to get pregnant naturally, then science will make it happen for us.

Writing
CNN
Diddy Saga Proves Time Was Never Up for Celebrity Abusers
Writing
The Daily Beast
Diddy Saga Proves Time Was Never Up for Celebrity Abusers
Writing
The Daily Beast

By Tanya Selvaratnam
Allegations that used to merit widespread outrage in the early days of #MeToo now barely cause a ripple.

Writing
The Daily Beast
Eric Schneiderman's abuse doesn't define me. It does highlight #MeToo's next wave.
Writing
NBC NEWS
Eric Schneiderman's abuse doesn't define me. It does highlight #MeToo's next wave.
Writing
NBC NEWS

By Tanya Selvaratnam
My situation wasn't like that of the women who encountered perpetrators like Harvey Weinstein in the workplace. But victims look like all of us.

Writing
NBC NEWS
Kindness and Clarity
Writing
McSweeney’s
Kindness and Clarity
Writing
McSweeney’s

By Tanya Selvaratnam
One Small Blow Against Encroaching Totalitarianism.

Writing
McSweeney’s
Leaf Me Alone
Writing, Featured
ELLE
Leaf Me Alone
Writing, Featured
ELLE

By Tanya Selvaratnam
Plants brought me intimate pleasure to counter the intimate violence of my story of abuse. Self-isolation during the pandemic can be dangerous for those in abusive relationships. Resources are limited, but there are options.

Writing, Featured
ELLE
Where Can Domestic Violence Victims Turn During Covid-19?
Writing, Featured
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Where Can Domestic Violence Victims Turn During Covid-19?
Writing, Featured
THE NEW YORK TIMES

By Tanya Selvaratnam
Self-isolation during the pandemic can be dangerous for those in abusive relationships. Resources are limited, but there are options.

Writing, Featured
THE NEW YORK TIMES
My Abusive Ex Turned the Holidays Into a Nightmare. Five Years Later, I Can’t Forget.
Writing, Featured
COSMOPOLITAN
My Abusive Ex Turned the Holidays Into a Nightmare. Five Years Later, I Can’t Forget.
Writing, Featured
COSMOPOLITAN

By Tanya Selvaratnam
When Tanya Selvaratnam came forward about her violent relationship with former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, her healing began.

Writing, Featured
COSMOPOLITAN

Conversations

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Gildenhorn Book Talk with with Carrie Mae Weems,
ASSUME NOTHING BOOK TOUR – THE ASPEN INSTITUTE
Gildenhorn Book Talk with with Carrie Mae Weems,
ASSUME NOTHING BOOK TOUR – THE ASPEN INSTITUTE

The Alma and Joseph Gildenhorn Book Series is a regular series in Washington, DC, presenting informal conversations with notable authors of current books

ASSUME NOTHING BOOK TOUR – THE ASPEN INSTITUTE
Tanya Selvaratnam with Cindi Leive
The Strand
Tanya Selvaratnam with Cindi Leive
The Strand

Join Tanya Selvaratnam and The Meteor's founder Cindi Leive as they present Tanya's newest book Assume Nothing: A Story of Intimate Violence.

The Strand