Mary laughs that she likes variety, and her life includes a diverse set of experiences and accomplishments. She weaves her personal journey into her creative work, blending humor, philosophy, and resilience in her writing. Strokes of comedy often meet a dab of inspiration. She has published regularly in a variety of media types including anthologies, magazines, scientific journals, e-zines, newspapers, electronic media and radio.
A passion for writing sparked as a teenager. In eighth grade, a humorous essay, Ice Cream, was published in American Girl magazine, and in high school she won 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize in a regional poetry contest. (The following year the number of entries per person was limited to one.) She has been writing ever since. Much of her work is short form— “like me!” she says. Her full length works include Our Time in Morocco, a memoir; Short Flights, a pending collection of creative nonfiction and poetry; The McCarthy/Armao/Fowler Family Cookbook, a compilation of recipes and family stories; and Our Stories, a longer memoir.
Both writing and her work in public policy have earned recognition. She is a recipient of the Women’s Advisor of the Year award from the New York State Center on Women in Government for accomplishments on career equity, work for which she was also honored with a joint resolution of the NYS legislature. Her creative nonfiction was recognized in a recent Hudson Valley Writers Guild writing contest. The Memoir Project at the Arts Center of the Capital Region, NYS, included her work. She has been a longtime editor of the Pyramid Lake Women’s Writing Retreat Anthology. Last year, she was a winner and featured reader at The National Baseball Poetry Festival.
During her career as a non-profit association director, Mary was an advocate for maternal and child health and helped craft landmark legislation for the rights of cancer patients. After an early retirement for health reasons, she stayed active in this field on the Board of the NYS Public Health Association. She also created a photo greeting card company, Happy Here cards, as a charity for children. She and her husband Kevin were volunteer homework helpers for a decade at an afterschool program in Albany, NY, and she now volunteers in a similar program in Florida. Kevin and Mary coordinate book clubs with the Daughters of Charity in Albany, NY and the Pelican Condo readers in Florida.
Mary is a daughter of Italian American New York City natives, a military wife, a career mother of three, and a two-time cancer survivor. Her early work included teaching in Africa at the Thomas J. Wilhoite School in Kenitra, Morocco. Upon return to the USA, she continued teaching and then held administrative positions with the New York State Department of Education and Department of Environmental Conservation before serving as executive director of a medical society.
Mary and her husband Kevin live in Albany, NY and spend time regularly in New Smyrna Beach, FL. Mary says her favorite and most important career is being a mother. Their family includes two daughters, Chris and Michelle; a son, Mike; their excellent spouses; and two outstanding grandsons.