The Writer I Am
My life was shaped by a young military couple who brought me from an infant home to their tiny apartment in Sumter, South Carolina, in February 1952.
They adopted me that October at thirteen months and named me Mary Ellen. They gave me a life my poor textile-worker mother could not afford to.
I tell stories
about my adopted life in an Air Force family, the separations, the moves, the uncertainty, the quest for self, and the discovery of my family of origin.
I began to write when I learned what words were for.
I write of coming of age as the adopted daughter of an Air Force officer in the 1950s--1960s.
I write about the creative joy and the toil of years in Philadelphia area gardens.
I write about the loss of identity that comes with adoption, the search and discovery of my family of origin, and what it means to me over the passage of time.
I write about the trauma of brain hemorrhage, how it changed me, and how I come to terms with my disability.
I create stories and scenes that bring the reader into my world. I invite you to explore my Portfolio.