Hello, I'm Lauren.
I tell stories about people, real and imagined.
Featured Writing
For an extended list of clips,click here.
 Andre & Madame Sherri • Narratively - Hidden History |  The History of Blue Cheese in America • The Takeout |
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 The Harvey Girls and Me • INTO |
 Joey Button • New Reader Magazine |  So Very Silently • Goats Milk Magazine |
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 That Marie • Sweet Tree Review |
Essay.
PS I Love You
About Lauren Harkawik.
“I'm curious about your story and mine.”
Lauren Harkawik (née McGrail) is a writer of fiction, essays, and articles.
Lauren earned a BFA in Dramatic Writing (Screenwriting) from the Conservatory of Theater Arts and Film at Purchase College, during and after which she engaged in an exploration of the entertainment industry.
In the summer of 2008, Lauren worked as a child wrangler on the Emmy-winning TV show The Electric Company. Later that fall, she began work as the assistant to the managers and president of Authentic Talent and Literary Management in Brooklyn. That job would expose Lauren to the inner-workings of entertainment and let her do cool things, like visit the set of The Avengers — but more importantly, it shaped her views on work, opportunity, and what it means to serve one's craft as a way to connect more deeply with one's place in, and impact on, the world.
In 2012, Lauren and Garret moved to Vermont, seeking time and space to commit to their own creative work. There, Lauren deepened her relationship to storytelling, becoming a published author of short fiction and discovering a talent for journalistic pursuits.
In late 2019, Lauren joined a group of female artists in southern Vermont who were exploring the relationship between their simultaneous place in the world as women and artists. The group staged a gallery show in early 2020 titled, "Art is a way of saying we are making the world." Lauren's experimental essay, "The beds we slept in," a version of which had earlier been published in Turnpike Magazine, was framed as part of the show.
In March 2020, New Reader Magazine published Lauren's short story, Joey Button, and named Lauren their featured author for their March 2020 edition, which included an interview with Lauren about her craft. In October 2021, Joey Button was optioned by Short Édition for worldwide distribution in their short story dispensers.
Lauren is a regular contributor to The Deerfield Valley News, her local newspaper. Her writing and reporting has been featured in various other corners of the web, including Times Union Hudson Valley, Catapult, Narratively, and The Takeout. In 2021, Lauren's personal essay, "Short Hair," was published in the print journal Salt Hill.
Lauren is currently working on a middle grade novel and several works of short fiction. She lives in Vermont where she and her husband are raising their two young daughters, Imogene and Esphyr.
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