Bestselling author Mary Laura Philpott believes we are what we read and what we write — that the narratives we consume shape our minds, and that the way we tell our stories can change the course of our lives.
Across her work, Mary Laura examines the moments that produce both laughter and tears, where the absurd and the profound overlap in everyday life. Her books include the popular essay collection I Miss You When I Blink, about starting over in small ways and releasing perfectionism, as well as the memoir Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives, a tribute to love and family, which was called a “masterwork” and selected as an Editors’ Choice by The New York Times. Bomb Shelter was also awarded the Southern Book Prize, chosen by Cheryl Strayed’s “Wild Reads” Book Club, and named one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR. Mary Laura’s essays have been featured by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic, among other publications.
A book nerd through and through, Mary Laura’s literary career includes past stints as a ghostwriter, a newspaper columnist, and a copyeditor. She served as the marketing and social media director for Nashville’s independent bookstore Parnassus Books for six years and was for several seasons an Emmy-winning co-host of A Word on Words, the literary interview program on Nashville Public Television. She wants to know what you’ve been reading — and has some ideas for what you should read next.
Mary Laura was born in Nashville, moved away as a toddler, and came back in 2014. She lives with her husband, two dogs, a wild turtle, and one or both of her young adult children, depending on who’s home from school.