Mary Norris

Mary Norris

Mary Norris began working at The New Yorker in 1978, and was a copy editor and proofreader at the magazine for over 30 years, mustering her skills in the service of such storied writers as Philip Roth, Pauline Kael, and George Saunders. She has also written for “The Talk of the Town” and newyorker.com on topics ranging from her cousin, U.S. Presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich, to mudwrestling. She is best known for her pieces on pencils and punctuation. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times Book Review. Her first book, Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen, was a finalist in the 2016 Thurber Prize for American Humor. Originally from Cleveland, Norris lives in New York.

Website: commaqueen.net
Twitter: @marynorrisTNY

Mary Norris does for Greek and Greece what Cheryl Strayed did for hiking. Readers will long to follow in her footsteps.” — Ann Patchett

FESTIVAL BOOK

Greek to Me: Adventures of the Comma Queen

Greek to Me is a charming account of Norris’s lifelong love affair with words and her solo adventures in the land of olive trees and ouzo. Along the way, Norris explains how the alphabet originated in Greece, makes the case for Athena as a feminist icon, goes searching for the fabled Baths of Aphrodite, and reveals the surprising ways Greek helped form the English language. Filled with Norris’s memorable encounters with Greek words, Greek gods, Greek wine – and more than a few Greek men – Greek to Me is the Comma Queen’s fresh take on Greece and the exotic yet strangely familiar language that so deeply influences our own.

DIVE DEEPER:

Articles

Reviews

  • “A Passion for Punctuation Meets a Love for All Things Greek” — The New York Times
  • “Greek to Me by Mary Norris review – ‘WTF, Socrates?’” — The Guardian
  • “TEXT” — NPR.org

Videos

ALL EVENTS WITH Mary Norris

8 PM
In Tune with the Times
Oct 18 @ 8 PM MT - 10:30 PM MT

Patricia A. Whelan Performance Hall, Central Library

800 3 Street SE
3 PM
Workshop: Grappling with Grammar
Oct 19 @ 3 PM MT - 4:30 PM MT

Memorial Park Library, 2nd Floor

1221 2 St SW
9 AM
A Morning with Mary Norris
Oct 20 @ 9 AM MT - 11 AM MT

Central Library, TD Great Reading Room

800 3 St SE