by Melissa Ferrone

The air in the Robinson Reading Room was magnetic when Beverly Donofrio began her reading last Thursday, October 17th. She began by discussing the tragic inspirations behind each memoir—the thing that pushed her to write, to discover, and to cherish. Her first memoir, Riding in Cars with Boys, was inspired by her turbulent upbringing and the challenges she faced as a teen mother. After the memoir and film-adaptation were released, she commented that she still did not feel fulfilled: “I had been given everything I ever dreamed of, and I still wasn’t happy.” In looking for happiness, she discovered the rich and fantastical history of the Virgin Mary which led to her second memoir, Looking for Mary. Most of her reading on Thursday revolved around her most recent memoir, Astonished, a gritty and hopeful book about surviving rape through faith and rediscovering one’s self.

To say that the audience was enthralled would be an understatement. The audience was mesmerized as Beverly read, as she talked to us like we all just sat down for dinner in her home. Beverly pulled us into her life through great swells of poetic moments and detailed language. Truth, faith, and the beauty and brutality of life comprise the vital center of her writing.

A palpable desire to know and understand Beverly was vividly evident when the audience began asking her questions. This was the first reading I ever attended where questions went on for thirty minutes. Some questions focused on her writing process, while others revolved around her relationship with God.

One student asked, “What would you tell someone who is going through a tragedy right now?” Beverly responded, “I’m not sure how to answer that. Just know that regardless, whatever comes out of the tragedy will be good. It will give you something good. Be patient, and it will give you something good.” This exchange encompassed Beverly’s outlook on both life and writing.

Beverly Donofrio is the author of three memoirs, including Riding in Cars with Boys. She’s also the author of a picture book, Mary and the Mouse, the Mouse and Mary and its sequel. Donofrio is an award-winning radio undefined116122.undefined116123.undefined116124.undefined116731.undefined213152.documentarian and essayist whose work can be heard on programs such as All Things Considered. Her personal essays have appeared in national newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Allure, Cosmopolitan, Spirituality & Health, and others. She lived for four years as a lay Carmelite at Nada Hermitage in Colorado, where she began Astonished, published by Viking. Beverly is now in transit, in the hallway, between here and there, a lay Carmelite out in the world, spending time with family and friends, writing as always, and teaching at the low residency MFA program at Wilkes University.