Penguin Speakers Bureau

Kristin Hersh is one of the most critically acclaimed, pioneering female rock musicians of the past two decades. The New York Times called her “a truly fear-inspiring rock innovator.” Rolling Stone dubbed her band, Throwing Muses, “trailblazing” and “one of alternative rock’s most influential but underappreciated groups.” Over the course of her career, she has released over twenty albums, including nine solo records.

In 1985, Kristin was eighteen years old and just beginning to find her place in the world. After enrolling in college at an early age, she made her home by squatting in various apartments around Providence, Rhode Island. Sometimes she would sleep in her car and spend the early morning hours swimming in strangers’ backyard pools, being careful not to wake the owners. Throwing Muses was just getting off the ground; Kristin and her bandmates spent their nights gleefully driving from venue to venue in their dilapidated car, trying to convince the bouncers at clubs that they weren’t just underage kinds trying to get in the bar—they were actually the band.

Then everything changed. Kristin found herself in a very dark place, setting off a series of episodes that culminated in a suicide attempt, after which she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. As she slowly began to resurface, Throwing Muses relocated to Boston, where they were celebrated in the local music press and subsequently courted by record labels, both indie and major. Then an even bigger surprise came: Kristin discovered that she was pregnant. Now, instead of wondering what cities in Europe she’d be touring, Kristin found herself wondering if she could afford diapers, whether antidepressants can be mixed with prenatal vitamins, and how to balance a guitar on her stomach in her third trimester.

Kristin’s memoir, Rat Girl, is the story of one year in a young woman’s life, a year that marked a turning point for her in countless ways.

Learn more about this speaker

"Punk Days"
The New York Times Book Review

"Kristin Hersh: Memoirs of a Muse"
NPR

"A compelling Memoir About a Singer’s Songs and Struggles"
The Boston Globe

"Kristin Hersh On Her New Book, Rat Girl"
The Huffington Post

"The Secret Life of the American Teenage Rockstar"
Slate

Rat Girl Review
Baltimore City Paper

"Interview: Kristin Hersh Revisits the Early Days of Throwing Muses in Her New Memoir, Rat Girl"
The Boston Phoenix