Brunonia Barry

Born and raised in Massachusetts, Brunonia Barry made her literary debut with the critically acclaimed, New York Times, and international best-selling novel The Lace Reader (William Morrow). The book landed on international best-seller lists and received rave reviews from publications such as Time magazine, People, Elle, the New York Times and from writers including Joshilyn Jackson and Marisa de los Santos. Published in 26 different languages, The Lace Reader was named a People magazine People Pick, Barnes & Noble New Reads, Borders Book Club Selection, Amazon.com Best of the Month, 2008 Indie Next Highlights List, iTunes and Library Journal Best of 2008 (audio book), Book Bloggers Best Books of 2008, and won the New England Book Festival Fiction Prize and the 2009 Baccante literary prize, awarded at the International Women's Fiction Festival in Matera, Italy.

A seasoned speaker, Barry has given keynote talks all over the country at such diverse venues as the Kappa Hospital Fundraiser in Denver, The Women's Network of Northern Essex, Community College Words Alive Conference in San Diego, the Red Hat Society HQ, Wordstock Festival in Portland, OR, New England Crime Bake, Grub Street Writers Conference, Women's Lunch Place Fundraiser in Boston, American Library Association, the Texas Library Association, and the Mobile Public Library. She's an ideal keynote speaker for historical societies, lace making and textile associations, the Red Hats Society, women's associations, libraries, and universities.

The Lace Reader is told by the beguiling yet unreliable narrator Towner Whitney. All the Whitney women can read the future in a piece of lace. But Towner Whitney has vowed never to use her gift - and never to return to Salem - after a terrible tragedy involving her twin sister, Lyndley. With the infamous town of Salem, Massachusetts as a backdrop, Barry created a modern community of fascinating characters whose ties to each other and to the past are also inextricably bound to what a time and place have come to represent culturally as part of our national identity. The Lace Reader is a mesmerizing tale which spirals into a world of secrets as mysterious to read as the lace itself. It is also an important story about the love of family, the bond between women, the mystery of twins, the power to survive, and the ever-present danger of the past repeating itself.

Barry studied literature and creative writing at Green Mountain College in Vermont and at the University of New Hampshire, and was one of the founding members of the Portland Stage Company. While still an undergraduate at UNH, Barry spent a year living in Dublin and auditing Trinity College classes on James Joyce's Ulysses. Barry's love of theater led to her first job in Chicago where she ran promotional campaigns for Second City, Ivanhoe, and Studebaker theaters. Barry moved to California and worked on a variety of projects for several movie studios.

After a decade in Hollywood, Barry returned to Massachusetts in the mid-1990s. Several years ago, she wrote for the Beacon Street Girls, a series of novels for 'tweens. She also created brain teaser puzzles for Smart Games. She lives in Salem, Massachusetts, with her husband and their beloved golden retriever, Byzantium.

The Creation of the Lace Reader

The History of Lace in Ipswich, MA

From Brain Teaser Creator to Best-selling Novelist

The Magic of Writing

The Hero’s Journey for Women

Creativity and a Sense of Place