Aurore: My Franco-American Mother

Auburn author Marguerite Roy will be at USM’s Lewiston-Auburn College, Thursday August 30th for a reading and discussion of her memoir, Aurore: My Franco-American Mother, sponsored by USM’s Franco-American Collection.

Aurore was the youngest of nine children of French–Canadian parents who immigrated to Lewiston, Maine, in the 1890s. The loss of her mother when Aurore was two years old affected her throughout her life; and for her nine children and two stepsons, she became the mother she always wished she’d had. At times unconventional, always devoutly Catholic, Aurore triumphed in an environment that was economically difficult and often lonely.

“This is a great addition to Maine’s Franco-American literature,” says Collection Coordinator, James Myall.  “Aurore’s experiences echo those of many other local women in the twentieth century, and readers, especially those from Lewiston-Auburn, will find this memoir both familiar and engaging”

Marguerite Roy was born in Lewiston, Maine, where she lived most of her life. She earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Southern Maine while raising four children with her husband, Raynald. The first chapter of Aurore: My Franco-American Mother won first place awards in Florida Freelance Writers Association competition, and selections from her book appeared in Down East, Discover Maine, The Family Digest, and Out of the Cradle magazines. Other stories have appeared in an anthology published by the Writers of Sun City Center. Roy and her husband now enjoy retirement in Auburn, Maine and in Sun City Center, Florida.

The free reading and discussion will take place 2:00 – 3:00 pm, Thursday August 30th in Room 170 of USM’s Lewiston-Auburn College, 51 Westminster Street in Lewiston.  Light refreshments will be provided.