The Patron Saint of Lost Girls

It's the Midwest in the 1970-80s, and Mary is growing up in Detroit, where the recession hits hard, and jobs are scarce. In a set of linked stories, Mary tries to conjure the spirits of protection to confront economic struggle, violence, addiction, and death. Mary moves to cities across the Midwest looking for work, all the while learning the healing power of dignity from the true patrons: her community of friends and family who teach her to love better, live fuller, and question power. An ode to the creative spirit's ability to transcend hardship, The Patron Saint of Lost Girls paints an unflinching portrait of women's resilience in the face of injustice.

Author: Maureen Aitken
Publisher: Southeast Missouri State Univ Press
Published: 10/08/2018
Pages: 172
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.60lbs
Size: 8.90h x 6.00w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9780997926279

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 01/15/2019 pg. 144
Foreword 10/26/2018

About the Author
Maureen Aitken is the recipient of the Nilsen Prize. Her collection of stories is forthcoming in 2018. She has also won the Minnesota State Arts Board's Artist Initiative Grant, the Loft Mentor Award, an award in Ireland's Fish Short Story Prize, and a grant from the SASE/Jerome Foundation. Stories in her collection have earned two Pushcart Prize nominations and have been published in journals such as Prairie Schooner, The Journal, Night Train, Puerto del Sol and the international anthology, The Bering Strait and Other Stories. She teaches writing at the University of Minnesota, where she received her MFA degree.