Author and cultural critic Roxane Gay spoke Thursday night to a full house at the Paramount Theater about “the age of inelasticity” and how that makes it difficult to create a global community. The keynote speaker for the University of Virginia’s 2020 Community MLK Celebration, Gay took a casual approach, sitting in a comfortable chair on stage, yet delivered the honest, witty, on-point commentary for which she is known in her writing. Critics praised her 2017 book, “Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body,” as “an amazing achievement” and “a memoir that’s so brave, so raw, it feels as if she’s entrusting you with her soul.” She also published The New York Times best-selling collection of essays, “Bad Feminist,” in 2014, as well as the novel, “An Untamed State,” and short stories. At the Paramount, Gay split her time into reading two short essays and holding a question-and-answer session with the audience. Even though she read her work, she didn’t sound like she was giving a lecture; her clear and casual style made it feel like she was having a conversation. (READ MORE)