Andrea Lawlor

Andrea Lawlor is an American author, celebrated for their 2020 Whiting Award win for Fiction for the novel "Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl." This book, which took 15 years to complete, was initially published by Rescue Press and was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award and a CLMP Firecracker Award before its republication by Penguin Random House.

Lawlor's formative years involved significant activism. During their time at Fordham University in the early 1990s, they were instrumental in establishing the campus's first LGBTQ+ group, an endeavor that unfortunately led to death threats. They also participated in the Pink Panthers, an activist group that provided protection for LGBTQ+ individuals in the Village, and were a member of ACT UP, experiencing firsthand the devastating impact of the AIDS epidemic. Lawlor has described this period of "radical organizing" as pivotal in their personal journey into queer life. Currently, Lawlor resides in Massachusetts with their partner, filmmaker Bernadine Mellis, their child, and their close friend, author Jordy Rosenberg. Lawlor also dedicates time to teaching writing at Mount Holyoke College and serves as a fiction editor for Fence.

Andrea Lawlor's early engagement with activism profoundly shaped their understanding and experience of queer life. While attending Fordham University in the early 1990s, Lawlor was at the forefront of establishing the university's inaugural lesbian and gay student organization. This pioneering effort, alongside their friends, unfortunately exposed them to severe backlash, including death threats. Parallel to this, Lawlor was involved with the Pink Panthers, an organization that actively patrolled the Village to safeguard LGBTQ+ individuals from homophobic violence. Their membership in ACT UP further immersed them in the community's struggles, particularly during the AIDS crisis, which resulted in the loss of friends. Lawlor has articulated that these experiences of "radical organizing" were instrumental in their personal coming-of-age and integration into the queer community.

Lawlor's literary journey began at the age of 30, culminating in the completion of their debut novel, "Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl," after a dedicated 15-year writing process. The novel first gained recognition upon its release by Rescue Press, earning finalist status for both a Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Literature and a CLMP Firecracker Award in 2018. The book's acclaim grew significantly following its subsequent republication by Penguin Random House, which led to Lawlor receiving the prestigious 2020 Whiting Award for Fiction. Beyond their own writing, Lawlor contributes to the literary world as an educator, teaching writing at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. They also hold a position as a fiction editor for the literary journal Fence.

“radical organising”

“really ... came into queer life”