Literary Fiction / Short Story Collection
Date Published: 09-16-2025
Publisher: Wayne State University Press
In 1970s and '80s Detroit, the city wrestles with an unending economic
downturn, increasing violence, and white exodus to the suburbs. Amid all of
this is twentysomething Mary who is just trying to grapple with her identity
in a world filled with uncertainty.
In this collection of linked stories, we follow Mary as she seeks to cope with and withstand hardship and confront her fears of exploitation, abuse, and death. Along the way, she delves into the complex yet nurturing relationships with her family and friends who teach her to love better, live fuller, and question power. The Patron Saint of Lost Girls presents an unflinching tale of life in the late twentieth-century postindustrial Midwest.
Interview
What is the hardest part of writing your books?
The hardest part is knowing when it’s done. I like the revision process but at some point you have to let it go.
What are your most played songs?
Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata and 5th Symphony.
Not Like Us
Lose Yourself
Because the Night
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
Do you have critique partners or beta readers?
I have two writing groups. They are lovely. We meet once a month. They always offer insights that inspire me to look at the bigger picture and scope of the work.
What book are you reading now?
I am re-reading Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, which is such a fantastic book.
How did you start your writing career?
I started as a kid. I wrote a lot and won some Scholastic Awards.
Tell us about your next release.
I have a flash fiction collection about dementia. It is really about the love of a mother and daughter.
About the Author
Maureen Aitken’s short-story collection, The Patron Saint of Lost
Girls, received a Kirkus star, the Nilsen Prize, and the Foreword Review INDIE
Gold Prize for General Fiction. It will be reissued in September, 2025 by
Wayne State University Press. Her stories have earned a Minnesota State Arts
Board’s Artist Initiative Grant, a Loft Mentor Award, an award from
Ireland’s Fish Short Story Prize, and two Pushcart Prize nominations. It
was also nominated for a Minnesota Book Award. Her stories have been published
in Prairie Schooner and New Letters, among others. This is her second story
featured in The Missouri Review’s Blast section.
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