In this episode of 'The Biggest Table,' host Andrew Camp welcomes Anna Rollins, author of 'Famished: On Food, Sex, and Growing Up as a Good Girl.' They discuss her memoir, which examines the harmful parallels between diet culture and evangelical purity culture, both of which pressurize women to fear their bodies and appetites. Anna shares her personal struggles with disordered eating, rooted in her upbringing in a strict Christian environment, and how she has navigated healing. The conversation also touches on societal norms, racial implications of body ideals, and the importance of discussing these topics openly. Anna emphasizes grace, forgiveness, and the necessity of honest, nuanced conversations to break free from harmful cultural scripts.

Anna Rollins is the author of Famished: On Food, Sex, and Growing Up as a Good Girl (out December 9, 2025 from Eerdmans). Her groundbreaking debut memoir examines the rhyming scripts of diet culture and evangelical purity culture, both of which direct women to fear their own bodies and appetites. Her writing has appeared in outlets like The New York Times, Slate, Electric Literature, Salon, Joyland, and more. She’s also written scholarly articles about composition and writing center studies. She’s an award-winning instructor who taught English in higher education for nearly 15 years. She is a 2025 Tamarack Foundation for the Arts Literary Arts Fellow. A lifelong Appalachian, she lives with her husband in West Virginia where they’re raising their three small children.

Follow Anna:

Anna's Substack: annajrollins
Anna's Instagram: @annajrollins

This episode of the Biggest Table is brought to you in part by Wild Goose Coffee. Since 2008, Wild Goose has sought to build better communities through coffee. For our listeners, Wild Goose is offering a special promotion of 20% off a one time order using the code TABLE at checkout. To learn more and to order coffee, please visit wildgoosecoffee.com.

Power Dynamics with Diet & Purity with Anna Rollins