My new book, Babes in Toyland’s Fontanelle, is out today! It is the latest in the 33 1/3 series from Bloomsbury Academic.
Babes in Toyland was one of the most influential and underrated bands of the 1990s, and they were my favorite band growing-up. Their stage presence was enigmatic, their lyrics vitriolic, and their Kinderwhore fashion ironic and easy to emulate. But what made them most inspiring to me and others was their ethos and a unique brand of sisterhood that inspired fans to create Riot Grrl and form legendary bands such as 7 year Bitch, Bikini Kill, and Hole.
Despite the media’s politicization of them as an “all-female” band, the Babes insisted their music wasn’t a political statement but about personal expression. They would dismiss labeling their act as feminist, but their actions sent a positive message of what a female space within music could look like. Now, almost 30 years after their most seminal record, Fontanelle, was released, the legend of the band is being resurrected and re-spun to reclaim their proper space and context in the history of music and women in rock.
Both contributing to the 33 1/3 series AND getting to write about the Babes are bucket list dreams of mine. I got to interview my heroes, meet really cool people that are also fans, and challenge myself in ways I haven’t before as a writer. But the dreamy part is over, and now that it is out in the wild and very real, I need your help to make it a success!
Buy the Book
You can buy the book online wherever books or sold. Below are a few of my favorite choices:
Tell a friend, tell the world
Review the book on Amazon, Goodreads, or on your social media using the following hashtags:
#babesintoyland #babesintoylandsfontanelle #bloomsburyacademic #bloomsburypublishing #333books #333sound
And make sure to tag me and the publisher @basbleuzombie, @333books (twitter only) @bloomsburypublishing, @bloomsburyacad
If you are a book blogger, or review books for a publication and would like to review the book, you can download an ARC until March 9 on Netgalley. If you’d prefer a hardcopy for your publication, please email me at nastywriters@gmail.com.
Call your local bookstore or your library:
See if your local bookstore carries the title. If not, ask them to order it.
Also, call your local library and ask them to order Fontanelle as well. This not only gets you a free book, but a free book for others. It also brings the value of the series to the library’s attention!
Calling Academia!
This is an academic text, and one of my main goals with it is to get the Babes in more scholarly discussions about women in music. If you or anyone you know teaches about women in music or art in general, please consider integrating Babes in Toyland’s Fontanelle into your curriculum.
Annotations, events, and more
I’m really excited about this book, and even more excited to share its release with you. I am available for interviews–in fact, I’m dying to talk about this book with everyone–so if you have a podcast or publication that would be interested, please hit me up at NastyWriters@gmail.com.
You can keep following me here for strictly publishing updates and book announcements. For more behind-the-scenes takes and marginalia collected from two years of research of this book, please subscribe to my Substack: My Lo-Fi Write Life.
Thank you all so much for your constant support! Xo
Selena Chambers 