Mary Pauline Lowry
Mary Pauline Lowry is the author of the novel The Roxy Letter and is a regular contributor to O Magazine. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, The Millions, and other publications.
Twitter: @MaryPLowry
Instagram: @MaryPaulineLowry
Are there particular films that have influenced your writing?
After the 2016 election, I was completely devastated. Once I read the news, I couldn’t take in anything else that was sad or depressing. So for a whole year afterward I read only funny books (like Bridget Jones’s Diary, Where’d You Go, Bernadette, and A Confederacy of Dunces) and only watched comedy television and film. When I started writing my comedic novel, The Roxy Letters, in October of 2017, I think those books and films and tv shows I’d been taking in really influenced my writing. Probably the biggest influence from television was the show Broad City, with The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt a close second.
What’s the oddest thing a reader has ever asked you?
I’ve been asked a couple of times what kind of snacks I like to eat when I’m writing—which is not something I would ever think to ask an author.
Not all books are for all readers… when you start a book and you just don’t like it, how long do you read until you bail?
Normally if I’m reading for fun and I don’t like a book, I’ll bail after 30 to 50 pages. If it’s something I’m reading for one of my book clubs, I’ll often slog about 2/3 of the way through before I quit. But I’m still embarrassed at book club to say I haven’t finished.
Do you collect anything? If so, what, why, and for how long?
I’ve never been much of a collector, but the cover of my novel The Roxy Letters has a woman’s face wearing heart-shaped glasses. So friends and family have been sending me heart-shaped sunglasses and it’s on the verge of becoming a collection!
What brings you great joy?
Laughing brings me great joy. I don’t often come across a novel I think is really hilarious, but when I do, it’s such an incredible treat.
Do you speak a second language? Do you think differently in that language? Does it influence your writing?
I used to speak Spanish pretty fluently. I originally learned Spanish because I wanted to be able to read the original, untranslated 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, which I did when I was 20. (At that point I’d already read the novel several times in English). Later speaking Spanish served a more practical and higher purpose—for years I worked as a bilingual advocate on the National Domestic Violence Hotline; and I spent a lot of time counseling monolingual Spanish speakers. I haven’t spoken much Spanish for the last 10 years and at this point my Spanish is beyond rusty. But I definitely believe learning a second language allowed me to think differently, more expansively, and helped me to be a better writer.
