Beginner’s Pluck: Mary Wilkinson's 'Quotidian' is a sensuous work of auto-fiction

After concentrating on vignettes, short stories, and poetry for radio and print, with some success, the author began writing in earnest in 2018

Mary Wilkinson started writing when she moved back to Ireland 28 years ago concentrating on vignettes, short stories, and poetry for radio and print.

Mary’s family. moved around a lot.

“We lived in Cork, Limerick, Galway, and Castlebar, and then settled in Fermoy, County Cork.”

After taking a secretarial course in Cork, Mary moved to Dublin, and worked in various jobs. Then she drifted to America, and met her husband in Arizona.

“I worked until I had babies, doing admin and secretarial jobs, and I took a few courses at university. We moved back to Ireland 28 years ago, when my youngest son was 10 days old.”

It was then that she started writing, concentrating on vignettes, short stories, and poetry for radio and print, with some success.

“I did some vignettes for the RTÉ’s A Living Word, and Lyric FM’s The Quiet Corner, and wrote a few ‘Irishwoman’s Diaries’ and stories and poetry for Books Ireland.”

In 2004, she won the short story award at the Listowel Writer’s Week. She has been published in many literary magazines.

Her writing paused after some health difficulties, in 2014, then in 2018, she started writing in earnest.

“I wanted to write a book I’d want to read myself — with short sections that were choppy then slow. The writing felt organic.”

Who is Mary Wilkinson?

Place of birth: Cork City.

Education: Loretto Convent in Fermoy; Secretarial School in Cork; New Mexico State University, course in photo-journalism.

Home: Galway.

Family: Husband, Will, sons Kyle, Drew and Zane. Dog, Eddie.

The day job: Full-time writer.

In another life: “I would have loved to have been more definitive, and to have pursued a writing career earlier.”

Favourite Writers: Edna O’Brien; Eimear McBride; Claire Louise Bennett; Rachel Cusk; Doireann Ní Ghríofa; Maeve Brennan.

Second book: “It’s in the early stages — about 30% done.” Mary is a member of the Galway Writer’s Group and the Writer’s Union.

Top tip: “If something is niggling at you, write it down. And have a pen and paper at your bedside.”

Website: www.marywilkinsonwriting.com

Instagram: @marywilkinson251

The debut

Quotidian
€12.80/ Kindle, €5.81

A nameless woman reimagines the rooms she has inhabited throughout her life, as she tries to reconcile her roles as a daughter, homemaker, wife, and mother — until she spirals into freefall.

The verdict: A wonderfully lyrical and sensuous work of auto-fiction. The writing takes you to unexpected places.