I was so terrified. I was so nauseous. And she called me in and she said, um, the character's good. The setting's good. You've got the dialogue, but it's not funny. It has to be funny. I want it funny. And I was like, it's a play about nuclear war. And she said, you're funny. Make it funny.

And she said, you're funny. Make it funny.

This is Design Matters with Debbie Nomah.

On this episode, Debbie talks with V, formerly known as Eve Ensler, about her abusive father and about how feminism has shaped her career.

I just wanted to give women an opportunity to tell someone their story because they needed to tell their story. And a lot of it, unfortunately, was about sexual abuse.

A quick warning. There is discussion of sexual assault in this episode.

There's another podcast you might enjoy. It's called Am I Normal from the Ted Audio Collective. It's back with a new mini-series all about the stories behind the statistics.

What does adulthood mean in a place where more than three quarters of people between ages 18 and 35 live with their parents?

What defines joy when you live in one of the top ranked countries for happiness?

Here from the people that make up every interesting data point. Listen to Am I Normal? Wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, listener, a quick favor. We are conducting an audience survey. And we'd be really grateful if you could take just a few minutes to respond.

Please visit survey.prx.org slash design matters to take the survey today. That's survey.prx.org slash design matters. Thanks.

Eve Ensler is no more. After she finished her latest book, The Apology, written from the point of view of her father, who physically and sexually abused her when she was a child, she changed her name.

Eve Ensler is now simply V. She joins me from her home in Upstate New York to talk about the Apology and about her extraordinary career as an activist and playwright.

V is the author of The Vagina Monologues, which first appeared off Broadway, in 1996, and has been performed around the world ever since.

Just some of her additional books and plays include The Good Body. I am an emotional creature, the treatment, necessary targets, as well as the remarkable memoir, which was also a one-woman show titled In The Body of the World.

V, welcome to Design Matters.

Oh, I'm so happy to be here with you, Debbie. I love your show, and I'm so excited to have a conversation.

Oh, thank you. I'm so honored that you're here. V, I understand that you have a singing street dog from Tijuana named Pablo.

What does he say? Well, what does he say? Well, he sings just about everything, but his favorite song is Happy Birthday without a doubt.

And there is never a moment that anyone sings Happy Birthday that he doesn't join in. He's quite astonishing, and he's an empath.

He's really one of the most special creatures I've ever met. It comes from deep, deep within him, and he fully commits himself to every song with the greatest passion.

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