Mary Saracino
author of
The Singing of Swans
&
Heretics: A Love Story
A native of Seneca Falls, NY who lived in Minneapolis, MN and Colorado for many years, she currently resides in New Mexico. In addition to her work as a writer, Mary teaches creative writing classes and workshops on the Divine Feminine.
She is the author of three other books (Voices of the Soft-Bellied Warrior, Finding Grace, and No Matter What, all published by Spinsters Ink), and has studied the Divine Feminine as an independent scholar for 30 years.
Her essays and fiction have been published in the anthologies Writing by Italian Canadian and Italian American Women (published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Gina Valle, Ed.), She Is Everywhere (iUniverse, Lucia Chiavola Birnbaum, Ed.), Don’t Tell Mama! The Penguin Book of Italian American Writing (Penguin Books, Regina Barreca, Ed.), The Milk of Almonds: Italian American Women Write About Food and Culture (The Feminist Press, Edvige Giunta & Louise DeSalvo, Eds.), Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul
, (HCI, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Patty Hansen, Irene Dunlap & Rusty Fischer, Eds.), and Hey Paesan! Writings by Lesbians & Gay Men of Italian Descent (Three Guineas Press, Tommi Avicolla Mecca, Giovanna Capone, & Denise Leto, Eds.); the literary and cultural journals Italian Americana, Voices in Italian Americana, and Sinister Wisdom. Her poetry has been published in The New Verse News Online Journal, The Pedestal Magazine, Mothertongued.com, & Writers Who Cook (Herringbone Press).
Her honors and awards include 1999 & 2005 Writer’s Residency Awards, Norcroft: A Writing Retreat for Women; the 2000 Salvator & Margaret Bonomo Memorial Prize for Literature (co-winner) for “Valentino, Puglia, & Seneca Falls,” a personal narrative published in the summer 2000 issue of Italian Americana; the 1999 Colorado Authors’ League “Top Hand Award” (Adult Fiction Mainstream/Literary) for Finding Grace; 1999 ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Finalist (Children/Young Adult category) for Finding Grace; 1994 Minnesota Book Award finalist (Fiction category), No Matter What; and participating in the 1991-1992 Loft Mentor Series program (fiction category).
She is a member of PEN America, the National Writers Union, the Colorado Authors League and the American Italian Historical Association.