(LENOX, Mass.) – Journalist and cultural critic Kate Bolick will read from and sign copies of her brand-new memoir, “Spinster: Making a Life of One’s Own,” at The Mount on Friday, May 15, 2015, at 5pm. In “Spinster,” Bolick uses her personal experiences as a starting point, taking readers through her intellectual and sexual coming of age to explore why she, and more than 100 million American women, remain unmarried. Bolick also introduces a cast of pioneering women from the last century who led lives of deliciously shocking modernity and whose genius, tenacity, and flair for drama have emboldened her to fashion a life on her own terms. Bolick calls these women her “Awakeners,” and they include journalist Neith Boyce, essayist Maeve Brennan, social visionary Charlotte Perkins Gilman, poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, and novelist Edith Wharton.

“Whom to marry, and when will it happen — these two questions define every woman’s existence,” Bolick writes, “[and] govern her until they’re answered, even if the answers are nobody and never.” It’s time, Bolick argues, for this to change.

“Kate has started a timely dialogue on relationships and why we might choose to remain single for creative reasons,” said Susan Wissler, executive director of The Mount. “I think Edith would have identified with Kate’s journey and would be pleased to know her difficult choices as a writer have proven inspirational to a new generation.”

Bolick has a long history with The Mount. In 2008, she wrote a story for Slate Magazine about the The Mount’s financial troubles. Her article helped bring the crisis to national attention. She has returned several times over the past three years, first as part of the 2012 Berkshire WordFest, next as a writer-in-residence, and most recently as host for last summer’s Touchstones series, which featured Andre Dubus III and Jennifer Finney Boylan. Bolick and the Touchstones series will be returning in September 2015.

Bolick first made waves with her powerful 2011 Atlantic cover story, “All the Single Ladies,” about the social and economic trends shaping America’s current romantic landscape. Bolick is a contributing editor for the Atlantic, freelance writer for ELLE, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal, and host of “Touchstones at The Mount,” an annual literary interview series at The Mount. Previously, she was executive editor of Domino and a columnist for the Boston Globe. She has appeared on NBC’s Today show, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and numerous NPR programs across the country. A recipient of a MacDowell Fellowship, she holds a master’s in cultural criticism from New York University, where she also taught writing.

“Spinster: Making a Life of One’s Own,” published by Crown, was released on April 21, 2015 has been garnering national attention including being named a New York Times Editor’s Choice.