Author Event: Alice Martin in conversation with Jessica Spotswood
Schedule
Sat Jun 20 2026 at 07:00 pm to 08:00 pm
UTC-04:00Location
Old Town Books | Alexandria, VA
About this Event
Join us on Saturday, June 20, at the bookstore for a special event with Alice to discuss her debut novel, , a hypnotic and hopeful debut—part fever dream, part dystopian road trip that claws its way towards a jaw-dropping finale.
Alice will be in conversation with local author Jessica Spotswood. They'll discuss Alice's inspiration, writing process, and more. Following the discussion, both authors will stick around to sign copies of their books.
About WESTWARD WOMEN
It starts with an itch.
In homes across the country, women ages eighteen to thirty-five begin to slow down.
Tired. Blank. Restless.
Drawn to the Pacific Ocean like it’s calling them home. They abandon their lives—jobs, families, their very selves. And once they reach the West, they vanish forever.
At the center of the story are three young women caught in the pull of something unstoppable.
Aimee follows the trail of her missing best friend to a man called the Piper—known for leading infected women West.
Teenie, afflicted and unraveling, clings to a single memory as she looks out the window of the Piper’s van.
And Eve, a former journalist, is chasing the story that might just consume her.
Each on the edge of transformation. Drawn toward the unknown. In search of a way forward.
About Alice Martin
ALICE MARTIN holds a PhD in Literature from Rutgers University. She is an Assistant Professor of English Studies at Western Carolina University, where she teaches fiction writing and American literature. She lives outside of Asheville, North Carolina with her husband, her son, and too many typewriters. Westward Women is her debut novel.
About Jessica Spotswood
JESSICA SPOTSWOOD is the internationally bestselling author of the Cahill Witch Chronicles and Great or Nothing. She's the editor of the feminist anthologies A Tyranny of Petticoats, The Radical Element, and Toil & Trouble. Her books have been included on the ALA's Rainbow and Rise lists and chosen as Junior Library Guild selections. She lives in Washington, DC, with her husband, mystery author Stephen Spotswood, and she works at the DC Public Library. Her next book, The Harrow Home for Wayward Girls, will be published by Holt in August.
Where is it happening?
Old Town Books, 130 South Royal Street, Alexandria, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 6.24 to USD 33.54
