Alumna's essay on science of falling in love published in New York Times, receives national attention
February 23, 2015
Roanoke College alumna Mandy Len Catron '03 is a self-proclaimed love story fanatic whose writings on the topic recently received national attention.
Catron, who teaches writing at the University of British Columbia, writes on the science of falling in love for her own blog, The Love Story Project.
Her words garnered national acclaim when the New York Times published one of her essays, "To Fall in Love With Anyone, Do This," on Jan. 9 as part of its Modern Love Column.
In her essay, Catron tells the story of how she became close with her significant other, using a set of 36 questions. However, it is not the love story that one may expect. Instead, Catron gives an endearing description of an analytical approach to love gone right.
Since its debut, Catron's essay has exploded across social media, resulting in such columns as this one published in the Health section of NBC's Today website.
Catron's Love Story Project is full of relatable posts that discuss everything from the deep-seated fear of forgetting formative moments to the merit of the romantic genre in today's context. In her own words, "The Love Story Project is about the dangers - and pleasures - of love stories."
Catron, a Virginia native, majored in English at Roanoke and went on to study at Florida State University. She ultimately received her MFA in creative writing from American University.
She also has a book in the works. In an interview with the digital literary magazine, "Under the Gum Tree," Catron described the book as "... an amalgamation of memoir, family mythology, and research on things like the neurochemistry of love and the way sociologists understand storytelling. The book was inspired [by] my parents' divorce, and my own desire to investigate how their love story shaped everything I thought I understood about love."
-By Hannah Cline '15
Published Jan. 23, 2015