Jeff Weiss with Martin Douglas and Lindy West — Waiting for Britney Spears

Third Place Books is pleased to welcome music writer and cultural critic Jeff Weiss to our Ravenna store for a conversation about his new book, . Speaking firsthand from Weiss's youthful experience as a tabloid reporter, the book tracks Britney's rise to it-girl status and subsequent fall from grace with both sardonic humor and genuine care. KEXP's Martin Douglas and writer, comedian, cultural critic, and activist Lindy West join in conversation.

This event is free and open to the public. For important updates, RSVP is highly recommended in advance. This event will include a public signing and time for audience Q&A. Sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured book!

When you RSVP to one of our free events during the month of June, you can add a donation to , a Black-led, trans-led nonprofit organization dedicated to providing life-changing gender-affirming resources, uplifting trans voices, and building power for our communities. Through their Build-a-Queer Kit program, QTP has distributed over $500,000 worth of free gender-affirming items to trans people in all 50 states. Their Flight Assistance Program has covered over 125,000 miles so far, ensuring that those seeking gender-affirming care can get there safely.

This event is free to attend. Registration is recommended in advance.

America, 2003: A country at war, its shiny veneer beginning to crack. Von Dutch and The Simple Life dominate. And on the cover of every magazine, a twenty-one-year-old pop star named Britney Spears. Tracking her every move for a third-tier gossip rag in Los Angeles was an unknown young writer taking whatever job he could while pursuing his distant literary dreams. He'd instead become an eyewitness to the slow tragedy of a changing nation, represented in spirit by “the coy it-girl at the end of history.”

Years later, after finally establishing himself as a celebrated journalist, Jeff Weiss presents Waiting for Britney Spears, a gonzo, nostalgic, and “allegedly true” recounting of his years as a tabloid spy in the lurid underbelly of Los Angeles. Weiss follows America’s sweetheart through Vegas superclubs and Malibu car chases, annulled marriages and soul-crushing legal battles, all the way to Britney’s infamous 2007 VMA performance. As Weiss lives through the chaos leading to Britney’s conservatorship, he observes, with peerless style, cringe-inducing fashion waves, destructive celebrity surveillance, and a country whose decline is embodied by the devastating downturn of its former golden child.

With the narrative flair that established him as a singular chronicler of modern pop culture, Weiss goes for broke in Waiting for Britney Spears, a descent into a neon hall of mirrors reflecting our obsession with fame, morality, and the mystery of what really happened to the last great pop star.

Jeff Weiss is a music writer and cultural critic whose work has appeared in the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, FADER, and many other outlets. A former columnist for LA Weekly, he is the cofounder of The LAnd magazine and the founder of the pioneering hip-hop blog Passion of the Weiss, along with its record label, POW Recordings. He lives in Los Angeles.

Founded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, Washington, Third Place Books is dedicated to the creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. With locations in Lake Forest Park and Seattle's Ravenna and Seward Park neighborhoods, Third Place Books is proud to serve the entire Seattle metro area. Learn more about their event series at thirdplacebooks.com/events.

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