Audrey Ryan
WRITER
Audrey Ryan is a counseling psychologist and writer based in Massachusetts and Maine. She is the author of DOWNEAST GOLDMINE, a forthcoming nonfiction narrative about fishing, drug smuggling, and her childhood on the Maine coast. She is also developing a limited-series podcast based on her taped interviews with fishermen and smugglers. Her 2023 Boston Globe Magazine cover story, The Big Catch, became the magazine’s most-read article of the year. She was recently interviewed by the podcast Criminal for an upcoming episode.
MUSICIAN
Audrey is also a singer-songwriter and runs a music series at DIY space the Loft in Somerville. Her band Lunch Mother is the house band at the Loft and plays out when the spirit moves them. She has released several records over the years all posted on Bandcamp.
DOWNEAST GOLDMINE
DOWNEAST GOLDMINE is a literary true crime memoir that uncovers a hidden chapter of American history—when the fishing fleet of coastal Maine was swept into an international drug smuggling ring, changing a region forever. When I learned my father, a scallop fisherman, had unknowingly hauled hashish from the ocean floor, it launched a years-long investigation into a buried scandal that shaped our community, our economy, and my family’s identity.
"Downeast Goldmine” couldn’t be more Maine. It’s a gripping thriller wrapped in a moving memoir and populated with the kinds of real-life characters—fishermen, hippies, and small-time dealers—that you’ll find nowhere other than here."
--Adam White, author of THE MIDCOAST
Interviewing a fisherman
The BIg CATCH
published in the Boston Globe Magazine
Lectures & Appearances
Audrey in front of the smugglers house in Cutler, ME
The Loft
The Loft is a rehearsal space in Somerville, MA where Audrey and a group of volunteers run a music series featuring touring and local artists. We also host fun events like the Holiday Fair, clothings swaps, Porchest, dance parties, etc.
This is a private space and you need to be on the mailing list for info and physical address. No we don’t rent it out. Here are the rules:
-21+ (we will card)
-BYOB
-50 person room capacity (our hallway area can host another 25-50)
-suggested donation $10-20, no cover
-no smoking in building
-no loitering outside building
Audrey is an indie singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist known for her innovative one-woman-band performances and genre-blending style. Based in Boston and hailing from Downeast Maine, she combines elements of folk, rock, and experimental pop, often using looping pedals and a variety of instruments including guitar, accordion, and vibraphone.
Lunch Mother is her band that performs at the Loft as the house band and out and about when the spirit moves them.
She has released multiple albums, toured internationally, and is also the author of The Need to Be Heard, a book exploring the challenges faced by independent musicians. Her music and writing reflect a fiercely independent spirit and a commitment to creative authenticity.
Lunch Mother performing @the Loft
Music
WTF is Audrey’s newest record released in 2025. The songs tackles themes of identity and balancing motherhood with the rest of life.
