'I can't really think of another writer who so consistently and bravely keeps thinking and talking and learning and trying to make the world better' Caitlin Moran

Laurie Penny is the tits. Witty and brazen, a force for both decency and revolution, she's a swashbuckling rhetorician, a daring reporter and an all-around fabulous broad. Bitch Doctrine provides an invaluable case for truth-telling in an age of chaos and lies Emily Nussbaum If you've followed Penny's work, you'll know that the thing that sets her apart from other enraged columnists is her empathy. She understands exactly what her opponents are thinking, and why, precisely, they are full of shit. This is a delight of a book. Penny's essays are righteous ones Cory Doctorow, author of Little Brother A writer and polemicist, a bad-ass, contrary, angry, bisexual troublemaker who is never happier than when she's upsetting someone, or preferably everyone ... We need her The Times An insightful, provocative and bold commentator. She is always relevant without slavishly following a supposedly 'topical' agenda set by others. Most importantly, she never compromises her compassion and humanity Irvine Welsh Sometimes enraging, sometimes enchanting, often both at once ... A raw, bright, urgent voice ... Like Caitlin Moran, another compulsive and essentially self-taught writer, she went to places others didn't and brought back things they had missed Guardian Forget Sex and the City, Penny doesn't give a damn about the politics of waxing or how small your pants are. She's more interested in analysing the battles we face around gender under late capitalism ... We are dealing with a new world order Observer Funny, angry, clear and true. Laurie Penny takes no prisoners - she'd rather free 'em Joss Whedon Penny is one of the first feminist writers to grow up within, and so instinctively understand, both the possibilities and the dangers of this relatively new cyber world New Statesman

Laurie Penny is a writer and journalist. She writes for Vice, the Guardian and many other publications, is a columnist and Contributing Editor at the New Statesman magazine. She was the youngest person to be shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for political writing on her blog 'Penny Red'. She has reported on radical politics, protest, digital culture and feminism from around the world, working with activists from the Occupy movement and the European youth uprisings. She has 160,000 followers on Twitter and in 2012 won the British Media Awards' 'Twitter Public Personality of the Year' prize. Laurie is a nerd, a nomad and an activist. She is thirty years old and lives in London. laurie-penny.com @PennyRed