I met Mary Collins in a workshop I taught at Grub Street
writing school in Boston a few years ago. Her writing--and her
enthusiasm--stayed with me. I was fortunate to have Mary join me again
in an online class later that year and a weeklong retreat on Madeline Island in the summer.
I
watched her memoir take shape, change, and reform. She is writing
about her growing-up years in England, and her brother's untimely death.
Recently, Mary was honored by the illustrious Brevity magazine when "Leap," an excerpt from her manuscript won second-place and was published by Brevity. You can read it here.
I
knew Mary was keenly interested in getting her work out there, to
build name recognition and a platform before her memoir is finished.
Here's an interview with Mary, explaining her unique way of approaching memoir and how she won the Brevity contest.
Here's an interview with Mary, explaining her unique way of approaching memoir and how she won the Brevity contest.