The Georgia Center for the Book is thrilled to host the book launch of Megan Volpert's Why Alanis Morissette Matters, the first critical biography of iconic musician Alanis Morissette, creator of Jagged Little Pill. Megan will be in conversation with Leah Tioxon. Join us for a fun conversation, followed by refreshments and a signing line. Charis Books and More will be the bookseller. Preorder the book here.

This event will take place in the Decatur Library Auditorium, on the Ground Floor of the library. Enter directly through the Ground Floor doors (bottom level of the parking garage behind the library) or take the elevators to G. Free registration is requested.

About the Book:

The 1990s hardly saw a bigger hit than Jagged Little Pill. Alanis Morissette’s defining album won Grammys, dominated the Billboard charts, and sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. It left a deep mark on the psyches of countless listeners. Three decades later, Megan Volpert checks in with Morissette, probing her rich and varied post-JLP career and bearing feminist witness to the existential anger that ties her recent work to enduring classics like “You Oughta Know,” “One Hand in My Pocket,” and “Ironic.”

Why Alanis Morissette Matters builds a bridge from Jagged Little Pill to the fascinating life and subtle intellect of its creator, exploring how the artist’s philosophical interests and personal journey are reflected in each track. Morissette’s struggles with censorship, mental health challenges, and Catholicism; her queer allyship, spiritual skepticism, zealous fandom, and philanthropic passions—all are carefully observed by a critic whose own life was touched by Jagged Little Pill. In the album’s wake, Morissette has evolved as an artist and global citizen. With sensitivity and a profound love for the music, Volpert guides readers through the case for Morissette’s enduring cultural relevance and creative impact.

About the Author:

Megan Volpert's purpose is to give good guidance. She creates sacred spaces where charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent can thrive. Whether on the page or the stage, from home or from an office, she is an award-winning interdisciplinary thinker whose interrogations of popular culture have served millions of ideas to thousands of interested parties for over twenty years.

Megan Volpert is author or editor of over a dozen books on popular culture, including two Lambda Literary Award finalists and an American Library Association honoree. Her newest work is Why Alanis Morissette Matters (University of Texas Press, 2025) and she won Georgia Author of the Year for Boss Broad (Sibling Rivalry Press, 2019).

In addition to her integrative medicine practice, Volpert's other gigs include: part-time Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Kennesaw State University, part-time Adjunct Faculty in the MFA Writing program at Reinhardt University, and Fellow at the American Institute for Philosophical and Cultural Thought. She writes for PopMatters and Salon, and has edited anthologies of philosophical essays on the music of Tom Petty and the television series RuPaul’s Drag Race.

About the Interlocutor:

Leah Tioxon is a cosmic alchemist and intuitive energy practitioner. She is a Reiki Master, reader, channel, and priestess offering energetic healing sessions, consultations, readings, ritual work, and more to clients near and far. As a long-time student of conscious healing, she is passionate about offering guidance and support to those looking for greater joy and serenity in their busy lives, a deeper, more meaningful connection within, and the challenge of learning to live authentically from one’s heart. And she is a huge fan of Alanis Morissette.