The Athens-Clarke County Library and Avid Bookshop invite the public to an author event and book signing with author Jen B. Larson in celebration of her book Hit Girls: Women of Punk in the USA, 1975-1983. This event will be held on Thursday, July 20 at 5:00 p.m. in the Athens-Clarke County Library Auditorium. Jen B. Larson and Georgia author and drummer, Jessica Handler, will discuss groundbreaking women-led bands from Athens and the South, and how women have been written out of rock-n-roll history. This event will include a slide show, Q&A, and special guests, followed by a book signing after the discussion.
Women have been kicking against the music patriarchy since Sister Rosetta Tharpe first played the guitar riffs that built rock-n-roll. Punk godmothers Suzy Quatro, The Runaways, Patti Smith, Poison Ivy, Tina Weymouth, Debbie Harry, The Go-Gos, and Fanny’s Millington sisters provided the template for thousands of girls and women throughout the United States to write and record their songs.
Hit Girls is the story of local and regional bands whose legacy would be otherwise lost. The women and bands profiled by Jen B. share their experiences with sexism and racism as well as their joy and successes from their days on stage. These pioneering women were more than novelty acts or pretty faces—they were fully contributing members and leaders of mixed-gender and all-female bands long before the call for “girls to the front.” The book includes interviews with Texacala Jones, Stoney Rivera, Mish Bondaj, Alice Bag, Nikki Corvette, Penelope Houston, and many more formidable and infamous women who made their voices heard over the screaming guitars. Hit Girls includes over 100 rare and never-before-seen images. Author Jen B. includes a comprehensive playlist of all the artists.
Jen B. Larson is a writer and musician who teaches at a public art school in Chicago. Her bands, Swimsuit Addition, beastii, and Jen and the Dots have performed and recorded extensively over the last decade.
Jessica Handler is the author of the novel The Magnetic Girl, winner of the 2020 Southern Book Prize, an Indie Next pick, Wall Street Journal Spring 2019 pick, Bitter Southerner Summer 2019 pick, and a Southern Independent Bookseller’s Association “Okra” pick. Her writing has appeared on NPR, in Tin House, Drunken Boat, The Bitter Southerner, Brevity, Creative Nonfiction, Newsweek, The Washington Post, Electric Lit, Oldster, Full Grown People, More Magazine, and elsewhere.
This event is free and open to the public. Call the library at 706-613-3650 or visit athenslibrary.org for more information.