Mary Potter Kenyon graduated from the University of Northern Iowa and is a certified grief counselor. She works as Program Coordinator for the Shalom Spirituality Center in Dubuque, Iowa, where she lives with her youngest daughter. Mary is widely published in magazines, newspapers, and anthologies and is the author of seven books, including Called to Be Creative: A Guide to Reigniting Your Creativity, released in 2020. She does public speaking and workshops on the topics of creativity, finding hope in grief, and expressive writing. Mary founded the Hope & Healing annual grief retreat and a writer's conference at Shalom.