Ira Feinstein is an American author currently living Detroit, Michigan. A native of Florida and a child of Georgia, Ira lived as Carla before gender transitioning at 38. Carla was orphaned by the age of 11; her father died unexpectedly of a heart attack, and two years later, her mother died of breast cancer. Carla and her brother, Adam, were moved to Michigan and taken in by a large blended family, helmed by her mother’s best friend.
While growing into a young woman in the early 1990s, Carla struggled with her parents’ death, the burgeoning discovery of a cancerous gene (BRACA-1 and BRACA-2), and her realization that she might also be a lesbian living in a conservative time and place. She escaped to Portland, Oregon, to live a life more in line with her identity, including getting a prophylactic mastectomy and hysterectomy to prevent breast and ovarian cancer before transitioning into a different gender than assigned at birth. Ira studied Creative Writing at Portland State University, Journalism at the University of Oregon, and Public Policy at Michigan State University. Cut Off will be Ira’s first book.
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Ira Feinstein is currently available to speak at engagements including workshops, conference panels, storytelling events, and more.
Ira Feinstein, MFA 