April 27, 2015

Reclaiming The Word “Spinster”

By Ruth Tam

Kate Bolick, author of the book "Spinster: Making A Life of One's Own."

Kate Bolick, author of the book "Spinster: Making A Life of One's Own."

As a woman, you are born, you grow up, you become a wife.

At least, that’s what writer Kate Bolick thought was normal as a child.

“But what if it wasn’t this way?” she asks in her new book “Spinster: Making A Life of One’s Own.”

Bolick, who has written for The Atlantic, Elle and The New York Times, made a splash in 2011 when she she co-opted Beyonce’s anthem and became the cover girl for single women. She has since gone on to defend and destigmatize the choice to remain unmarried. Her latest effort on this front is her book, which tells the story of her own journey to independence from marriage, as well as the stories of five other female writers who made similar choices.

Bolick joins The Kojo Nnamdi Show on Monday, April 27 at 1 p.m. EST, with essayist Tim Kreider and author Elliot Holt.