Mary E. Mitchell is author of the novel Starting Out Sideways. A writer of fiction, non-fiction and essays, she has published her work in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, The Minnesota Star Tribune, Contrary Magazine, The Writing Self, Family Circle, First for Women, and online at Kaplancollege.com. She is a recipient of the New England PEN Discovery Award for her novel, The Nearness of You. For years she has taught writing at the Joan Brack Adult Learning Center and Bethany Hill School, a living and learning community, both in Framingham, Massachusetts. She lives with her husband in Massachusetts.