Melissa Mohr

Melissa Mohr is the author of Holy Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing (Oxford University Press, 2013; 2016) which appeared on The Guardian UK’s bestseller list and has been translated into Turkish and Korean. The book was praised as “wonderfully witty” (The Sunday Times), “intelligent and enjoyable” (The Wall Street Journal), and “surprising and delightful” (The Guardian). The Washington Post called it “one of the most absorbing and entertaining books on language I have encountered in a long time...engaging and winningly droll.” Mohr has written articles for NBC Think, The Guardian, The Sunday Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post and Salon.com. She has been interviewed on NPR’s Morning Edition and on shows on the ABC, BBC, and the CBC. She has appeared on Australian TV, and given numerous talks in the US and Britain. Mohr earned her PhD from Stanford University in Medieval and Renaissance English Literature and lives in Somerville, MA.