Mallary Tenore Tarpley on writing about eating disorders and navigating ‘the messy middle’ in recovery

Mark Armstrong sits down with Storyboard contributor and author-journalist Mallary Tenore Tarpley to discuss her new book, “Slip: Life in the Middle of Eating Disorder Recovery.”

“Slip” is a reported memoir, with Tarpley recounting her own diagnosis and treatment for anorexia following the death of her mother from breast cancer when Tarpley was 11 years old. She talks about the process of writing and researching the book, revisiting spaces from her childhood, and confirming memories through interviews, medical records, and journals that had been stored for years in her father’s attic. 

For resources including screenings, treatments, and free-to-low-cost support for eating disorders, please visit the National Eating Disorder Association to get help.

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Reading List: Authors, Books, and Stories Mentioned 

• “Slip: Life in the Middle of Eating Disorder Recovery” (Mallary Tenore Tarpley)
• Mallary Tenore Tarpley Nieman Storyboard archive
• Goucher College low-residency MFA 
• “The Night of the Gun” (David Carr)
• Write at the Edge (Mallary Tenore Tarpley's newsletter)
• “Write for Your Life” (Anna Quindlen)
• Other writing from Mallary Tenore Tarpley

Show Credits

Hosted and produced by Mark Armstrong
Associate producer: Marina Leigh
Episode editor: Kelly Araja
Audience editor: Adriana Lacy
Promotional support: Ellen Tuttle
Operational support: Paul Plutnicki, Peter Canova

Nieman Foundation interim curator: Henry Chu
Music: “Golden Grass,” by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)
Cover design by Adriana Lacy

Nieman Storyboard is presented by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard.

Chapters

• 0:00 Storyboard: Mallary Tenore Tarpley