Nikki Richesin, the editor of the The May Queen, started compiling this book of essays on "the eve of the thirtieth birthday." Given that the tagline of the book is "Women on life, love, work, and pulling it all together in your 30s", that piece of data seemed ironic -- we're pretty sure we spent the eve of our thirtieth birthday watching "Knight Rider". Thanks for making us feel like even MORE of a screwup, Nikki!

Fortunately, the essays within soothed the sting of our failures past. From Ashley Warlick's meditation on the significance of a stuffed animal to her daughter, to Flor Morales' tale of her escape from El Salvador, to Lily Burana's rundown of how a nice girl like her ended up in a place like this, the essayists of The May Queen show us that there are a lot more ways to be a woman in her thirities than you might think.

Still not convinced? Tonight at 7 at A Clean Well Lighted Place For Books (601 South Van Ness), join a diverse group of May Queen contributors including Meghan Daum, Heather Juergensen, Erin Ergenbright, Michelle Richmond, Samina Ali, Kimberly Askew, Carla Kihlstedt, Flor Morales and Erin Cressida Wilson as they chat about what their thirties mean to them. You should totally go!

But if you can't, we have a consolation prize for you. Nikki and her publisher are generously offering a few SFist readers a copy of The May Queen, so enter below by Wednesday to win a copy of this compilation of essays.