Marcia Butler
AUTHOR

Marcia Butler

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Marcia Butler’s nationally acclaimed memoir, The Skin Above My Knee, was one of the Washington Post’s “Top ten noteworthy moments in classical music in 2017”. Her debut novel, Pickle’s Progress, was hailed by Michael Schaub of NPR: “Surprising and audacious, Pickle’s Progress succeeds because of Butler’s willingness to take risks and her considerable charisma. She’s a gifted storyteller with a uniquely dry sense of humor and a real sympathy for her characters.” And Richard Russo said: "The four main characters in Pickle's Progress seems more alive than most of the people we know in real life because their fears and desires are so nakedly exposed." Her third book, Oslo, Maine, draws on indelible memories of performing for many years at a chamber music festival in central Maine. While there, Marcia came to love the majestic moose who roam at their perpetual peril among the humans. Bethanne Patrick of Literary Hub noted, “The author’s deep compassion for a different species means that you will wonder why more writers don’t choose to include all manner of beasts in their narratives.” In her stunning new novel (5/6/25) Dear Virginia, Wait For Me, Marcia draws a sensitive portrait of a not quite formed, vulnerable yet resilient, young woman who, with the help of her inner voice who she believes is Virginia Woolf, attempts to overcome the psychological damages wrought by her troubled upbringing. Best-selling author, Jonathan Lee, writes: “Her protagonist believes she's being guided by the voice of Virginia Woolf, but it is Butler's voice -- comforting and astute, alive to the music of kindness as well as betrayal -- that holds you to the end.” Prior to becoming an author, Marcia had several creative careers: professional musician, interior designer, and documentary filmmaker. During her thirty-year musical career, she performed as a principal oboist and soloist on the most renowned of New York and international stages, with many high-profile musicians and orchestras – including pianist Andre Watts and composer/pianist Keith Jarrett. The New York Times hailed her as a “first rate artist”. Her interior design projects have been published in numerous shelter magazines and range up and down the East Coast, from Boston to NYC to Miami. The Creative Imperative, her documentary film exploring the essence of creativity, premiered in 2019 at The New York Society Library and is now available on YouTube. Marcia’s writing has been published in The Washington Post, Literary Hub, PANK Magazine, Psychology Today, Aspen Ideas Magazine, Catapult, Bio-Stories, Kenyon Review, and others. She was a 2015 recipient of a Writer-in-Residence through Aspen Words and the Catto Shaw Foundation and was a writing fellow at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in 2018 and 2019. After four decades in New York City, Marcia now calls New Mexico home.
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The Skin Above My Knee

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