Venita Blackburn Explores California Girlhood in 'How to Wrestle a Girl'

“To all the wild, mad girls.” That’s to whom Venita Blackburn dedicates “How to Wrestle a Girl,” her new short story collection set amid the urban landscapes of Southern California. The stories explore in part what Blackburn describes as the “physicality of girlhood” — girls’ changing bodies and desires, their athleticism and their fierce protection of each other in the face of external threats. We talk to Blackburn about the book and her own California girlhood that inspired it.