Lauren Holmes: Neilly Series Lecture

Lauren Holmes was born in upstate New York. She received her BA from Wellesley College and MFA from Hunter College. Her first book, Barbara the Slut and Other People, was named a Best Book of 2015 by NPR and Publisher’s Weekly.

Through its ten short stories, Holmes’ book manages to capture the millennial experience and its unique challenges. Her characters are teenagers and young adults trying to navigate a world that is becoming increasingly more complicated and unpredictable as childish expectations face grown-up realities.

 Holmes’ choice of topics make her a subtle commentator on twenty-first-century issues. Her book touches upon immigration, sexual identity, urban alienation, bullying, online dating, and slut-shaming with nuance, humor, and compassion.

 She currently lives in upstate New York.