“Blending altered states of consciousness, sexuality, and death is not an easy task, but one that McNamara pulls off beautifully. It's the ending of this story, which speaks to the haunting loss and buried grief beneath these dreaming characters' lives, that is so riveting. A powerful story of loss and our attempts to find wholeness again.”
— Alexander Weinstein, author of Children of the New Wold, on Grief
Runner-up of 2018 Sherwood Anderson Award
Photo by Andrew Zeiter
My staged work has been produced across Chicago; most recent pros publications include the Midwest Review, and inc&coda. Since 2017 I’ve developed TV shows in the US and UK. Currently writing a graphic novel about Teddy, Alice and Kermit Roosevelt.
For any writing inquiries, Contact here.
From the Archives
“Dead Girl”
A couple years ago I was asked to write a performance piece for the Chicago Home Theatre Festival — an amazing organization that “invites strangers into each other’s homes to share a communal meal, experience transformative art, and build intentional community across lines of difference.” Our performance took place in Little Village and was hands down the best time I’ve had in a garage we filled with trash. The original production was performed by Maria Margaglione, directed by Darci Nalepa, with choreography by Joe Musiel. Here’s a recording of Maria’s performance with a score from Eliza Morris.
“Grief”
Before this story was published, my friend Kristina Valada-Viars — who is infinitely wiser than me — asked if the sex throughout was meant to symbolize [and then she made some references to society, the world, life, etc. that went way over my head and made me re-think if I was reading enough]. “Maybe,” I said. “But I really think it’s just about grief.” Either way, I’m grateful to the Midwest Review for publishing it.