Mary Anna Scenga Kruch is a career educator, writer, and photographer, often inspired by her Italian family, social justice, and the natural world. She taught middle school language arts and was a reading specialist during 30 years of classroom teaching following a BA in English Education and MA in Literacy from Michigan State University. Dr. Kruch earned a Ph D in Curriculum and Instruction in 1991. Following her classroom teaching career, Mary Anna worked as an Assistant Professor in English Education at Grand Valley State University and served as a Field Supervisor for Nothern Michigan University. Dr. Kruch has published a textbook, Nurturing Motivation in Young Adolescent Writers (2012), a poetry chapbook, We Draw Breath from the Same Sky (2019),  a full-length collection, Grace Notes: A Memoir in Poetry & Prose (2021), and a full-length book, Water Marks (2024). She is widely published in state and national literary journals.