Mary Williams

About Me

I'm a Catholic contemplative, influenced by and interested in interreligious wisdom, a writer, a weaver, and a wife … and the turtle is my spirit animal: steady and slow.   :)

Education

I have a B.A. in Comparative Literature and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from San Diego State University.

Career

For a time I meandered, working seasonally as a housekeeper and kitchen worker in some California national parks. Then I dipped my toes into academia, completing an MFA in creative writing, and teaching composition at a few San Diego area colleges. Desiring more introverted work, I eventually became an editor and writer for Greenhaven Press, a publisher of social-issues texts for the high school level, where I've had the pleasure of compiling and writing educational books on a wide variety of topics. My creative work has appeared in City Works, River Styx, Squaw Review, Cedar Hill Review, the CD Exploded Views, and the newsletter Contemplative Companions. At present I'm smack in the middle of writing some sort of book, All the Lurking Mothers of God.

Hobbies and Interests

As a volunteer with Contemplative Outreach of North San Diego (CONSD), I help to introduce inquiring folks to the method of Centering Prayer, a contemporary form of contemplation / meditation that is rooted in the Christian mystical tradition and informed by the insights of developmental psychology and the teachings of Thomas Keating, William Meninger, Meg Funk, and Cynthia Bourgeault, among others. CONSD is a local arm of Contemplative Outreach, Ltd., an international, ecumenical network of individuals and small faith communities committed to living the contemplative dimension of the Gospel in everyday life. My work with CONSD includes leading a weekly Centering Prayer group at a Catholic Church in Oceanside, California.

Perspectives

Inquiry Responses and Comments