Elizabeth Gonzalez James presents her new novel MONA AT SEA in conversation with Mary Pauline Lowry! One night only on the Raven virtual stage.

In this sharp, witty debut, Elizabeth Gonzalez James introduces us to Mona Mireles—observant to a fault, unflinching in her opinions, and uncompromisingly confident in her professional abilities

Mona is a Millennial perfectionist who fails upwards in the midst of the 2008 economic crisis. Despite her potential, and her top-of-her-class college degree, Mona finds herself unemployed, living with her parents, and adrift in life and love. Mona’s the sort who says exactly the right thing at absolutely the wrong moments, seeing the world through a cynic’s eyes. In the financial and social malaise of the early 2000s, Mona walks a knife’s edge as she faces down unemployment, underemployment, the complexities of adult relationships, and the downward spiral of her parents’ shattering marriage. The more Mona craves perfection and order, the more she is forced to see that it is never attainable. Mona’s journey asks the question: When we find what gives our life meaning, will we be ready for it?

Elizabeth Gonzalez James's stories and essays have appeared in The Idaho review, The Rumpus, PANK, StorySouth, and elsewhere, and have received numerous Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominations. In 2021 she is a regular contributor to Ploughshares Blog. Her debut novel, Mona at Sea, was a finalist in the 2019 SFWP Literary Awards judged by Carmen Maria Machado, and has been named a "Most Anticipated" book of 2021 but The Millions, SheReads, Frolic, and elsewhere. Originally from South Texas, she now lives in Oakland, California with her family.

Mary Pauline Lowry is the author of the novels The Roxy Letters and Wildfire. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine,

Elizabeth Gonzalez James in conversation with Mary Pauline Lowry: MONA AT SEA