The incomparable writer, actor, feminist/activist, Amber Tamblyn just added a 7th book, Listening in the Dark, to her collection of published pieces. She wrote the book alongside some brilliant women who add their insightful and inspiring words on the subject of intuition. Amber spells it out in a recent instagram post “In these pages you will find a practical and applicable guide to nurturing your own unique intuitive process, bringing you one step closer, one stride deeper, to everything you were ever meant to become.” Obviously a book we need asap! Scroll down and take a peek at our wonderful photo diary with Amber wearing all vintage sporting some big jewels, hair and polka dots. Check our chat on her busy book tour, friendship, favorite books and bare essentials including her signature bold lip we love so much. But then again what’s not to love about this bad ass beauty.

The Bare Magazine: What are you looking forward to the most as you begin your book tour?

Amber Tamblyn: I'm looking forward to connecting with women across the country and talking to them about their own intuitive journey. I'm really interested to hear what women think of this topic and whether or not they have a relationship to intuition or are still learning about their own gut instinct. It feels like such a vital, important topic for this moment in time, when women's voices, both literal and metaphorical, are being silenced. We could all use a good strong dose of self-reliance and believing not only in ourselves, but what we have to say-- what we feel as a truth to be followed. 

Bare: What topics were of highest priority to tackle with this book? 

AT: I wanted to know how different women across industries connect with their intuition, but I also wanted to hear from women who have complicated relationships trusting their gut. I think of Jessica Valenti's beautiful essay where she ends by saying, in part, that when she can't trust her intuition, she knows she can trust her community. That her community sometimes helps her through the second guessing. This book is meant to be a practical tool to help women see their intuition as a muscle that must be strengthened and used frequently in order to make it stronger - in order to change our lives and in some cases, the world. 

Bare: If you could choose one thing the reader takes away with them, what would it be?

AT: I hope that women see their intuition as an applicable tool, as a very real form of intelligence that's as important and valuable as rational thought. Our intuitive intelligence is also a form of knowledge, but we've been so conditioned throughout history to believe that it shouldn't carry as much value. I'm here to tell you it should, and by leaning into what that voice inside you is telling you, you are coming one step closer to your most authentic self. 

Bare: Can you describe what satisfies you most about writing?

AT: What satisfies me most about writing is being able to communicate a feeling, or a truth, in a way that re-sensitizes the reader to a subject they might otherwise think they already fully understand. I grew up a poet, and around many poets, and I know the strongest way to reach someone is to reach them not through an intellect of the mind, but of the heart. Meaning: As a writer, it's important to me to make someone feel something different when they're reading my work. Discomfort, joy, fear, even disgust at times. Writing is not so much about making a reader feel seen as it is opening their eyes up to a different way of seeing.

Bare: What are the top 4 most treasured books on your shelf?

AT: Oof! Hard question. Mary Beard's "Women and Power". My late writing mentor Jack Hirschman's "I Was Born Murdered." Erich Neumann's "The Great Mother: An Analysis of the Archetype." And lastly, there's a copy of my novel "Any Man" that I read out of on a 30-city book tour I did back in 2016. It's completely dog-eared and torn up and written in. It stands - or rather, slouches - on my bookshelf as a reminder of how much I love book tours and reading in front of live audiences. This is where my heart thrives. In person, face to face experiences. 

Bare: Did you keep a diary as a kid? Would you say writing has always been like a best friend?

AT: Yes, I kept diligent diaries and journals as far back as I remember. It somehow felt important to me-- like an act of survival-- to keep some kind of record of my existence, every detail of it. I think this is where my love for storytelling really began. It's also where I learned to internalize and process my dreams and what they might mean. I have always been a heavy dreamer, in the literal and metaphorical sense of the word. I'm a day dreamer and a night dreamer. In Listening in the Dark, in the essay In The Mouth of the Wolf You Will Find It, I write a lot about the power of dreams and what our subconscious life can mean for our intuitive conscious one.

Bare: Would you like to see your work come alive on the screen or stage?

AT: Yes, and that will be happening soon. 

Bare: You have such an amazing circle of friends, collaborators, and inspirational women. In what way do they feed and inspire you?

AT: I'm lucky to have a lot of brilliant women in my life, from doctors to activists, movement builders, artists and musicians. A win for one of us is a win for all of us. Most of these women have been in my life for over a decade and it's because of our friendships that we thrive and endure.

Bare: Please list your 5 bare essentials.

A portable re-chargeable reading light for travel. 

Any strong lip color by YSL, most especially Rouge Neon. 

Lavender tea. 

A small bag of cashews for your purse (always!) 

A damn good book. 

Photos and makeup: Tina Turnbow

Hair: Matthew Monzon using Rand Co Bleu

1973 sweater Amber’s own. All other clothing/jewels/shoes from Cure Thrift NYC

Shot in Bare studio Brooklyn