Hypertext Magazine asked Ellen Birkett Morris, author of Lost Girls, “Why is the collection titled Lost Girls? Are these women and girls lost?”
The title story “Lost Girls” is about a young woman who creates a yearly ritual to honor and remember a girl who was kidnapped in her neighborhood. I selected that as the title for the collection because I think the stories work in that spirit. Also, I thought lost girls had a certain melancholy ring to it that appealed to me. I never dreamed I would find a cover image using the search term lost girls that would convey the bravery, love of life, mystery and danger that I hope the stories carry.
The women and girls in the story are all in tough spots, mourning, separating from what has held them back, aging, setting out on their own, facing hard realities, but they are not lost. They find answers within themselves, connect with the people around them and are able to make sense of the challenges they face. These women are strong, capable and whole even as they bear the scars of life.
Ellen Birkett Morris is the author of Lost Girls, short stories, and Surrender, a poetry chapbook. Her fiction has appeared in Shenandoah, Antioch Review, South Carolina Review, and other journals. She received the Bevel Summers Prize for short fiction. Morris is a recipient of the Al Smith Fellow from the Kentucky Arts Council. Morris has an MFA from Queens University-Charlotte. Learn more at Ellen Birkett Morris.