Mary H. Snyder

I was born and raised in Pennsylvania, attended Bucknell University for chemical engineering and sociology, then moved to California. I worked as a research analyst at SRI International, researching and writing for companies that subscribed to the services offered by SRI's Business Intelligence Program. When I had my daughter, I decided to stay home to take care of her, and that's when I also decided to become a writer.

After two more children and then divorce, among other twists and turns, I returned to school to get my Master's degree in English, back at my alma mater. My children and I would sit at the kitchen table doing our homework together, although I'd have to finish mine later once they were quietly asleep.

My graduate program allowed me to combine my critical work with creative writing, and I was able to write the first draft of a novel while in school. My critical work focused on the creation of literary texts. When I graduated, I worked as the director of a women's center, which allowed me to combine my background in women's issues (and women's writing) with my counseling experience. The job also taught me how to give presentations, more easily each time, to large and sometimes difficult audiences.

I then began to teach writing at the college level. I started teaching primarily first-year writing, but soon was called upon to teach science writing, creative nonfiction and memoir writing, fiction, poetry, literature and literary analysis, and Introduction to Gender Studies.

Currently, I've returned to California, where I'm learning to balance my skills in writing, counseling and teaching. As a writer, I published a book in 2011 on literature-to-film adaptation. More recently, I've been publishing online, including blogs. I'm also at work on two major projects (a novel and a memoir). I've extended my experience with trauma and crisis counseling to include recovery counseling with a focus on addiction. And, I'm navigating my way back to teaching. Now that my children are almost grown, I've found fertile soil for new growth as I proceed to the next stage of my life.