Women and Children First by Alina Grabowski: Discussion + Signing

Join us as we welcome Alina Grabowski to discuss her debut, WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST, with musician and essayist Bea Troxel. The discussion will be followed by a signing line.

This event is free, but please RSVP so we know how many people to expect. If you would like to purchase a copy of the book, there is a RSVP + Book ticket as well. (If you choose the + Book ticket, the book can be picked up either at the event or in advance. We will also have copies available for purchase at the event.)

ABOUT THE BOOK

A gripping literary puzzle that unwinds the private lives of ten women as they confront tragedy in a small Massachusetts town.
Nashquitten, MA, is a decaying coastal enclave that not even tourist season can revive, full of locals who have run the town’s industries for generations. When a young woman dies at a house party, the circumstances around her death suspiciously unclear, the tight-knit community is shaken. As a mother grieves her daughter, a teacher her student, a best friend her confidante, the events around the tragedy become a lightning rod: blame is cast, secrets are buried deeper. Some are left to pick up the pieces, while others turn their backs, and all the while, a truth about that dreadful night begins to emerge.
Told through the eyes of ten local women, Grabowski’s Women and Children First is an exquisite portrait of grief and a powerful reminder of life’s interconnectedness. Touching on womanhood, class, and sexuality, ambition, disappointment, and tragedy, this novel is a stunning rendering of love and loss, and a bracing lesson from a phenomenal new literary talent that no one walks this earth alone.

ABOUT ALINA

Alina Grabowski grew up in coastal Massachusetts and holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Vanderbilt University. Her writing has appeared in Story, The Masters Review, Joyland, The Adroit Journal, and Day One. She has received scholarships from Aspen Summer Words, the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, and the Juniper Summer Writing Institute. She lives in Austin, Texas.

ABOUT BEA

Bea Troxel is a musician and essayist born and raised in Nashville, TN. She released her latest record, Gettin' Where, via Ruination Records in 2021. She's currently at work on a collection of essays about a family of beavers in Nashville (among other things!) and is completing her MFA at Randolph College. She is obsessed with beavers, Wave Country, and fake phones.

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