Join us for an event with debut novelist Alina Grabowski to discuss her book WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST. A gripping literary puzzle that unwinds the private lives of ten women as they confront tragedy in a small Massachusetts town, WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST was a most anticipated book of 2024 by Oprah Daily, Vogue, and the New York Times. Alina will be joined in conversation by Zack Schlosberg.

about the book

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.

about the author

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.

Zack Schlosberg is the Senior Administrative Program Coordinator of the Joynes Reading Room at UT Austin. He is a graduate of the Michener Center for Writers.