Mary KeilMary Keil's varied professional life includes time in the Federal government and banking, as a consultant and an entrepreneur. Eventually following her heart led her towards creative endeavors, often making use of her business experience. She was thescreenwriter and executive producer of SWING, an independent feature film starring Jacqueline Bisset, Jonathan Winters, Tom Skerrit and the late Nell Carter. She produced the independent film ANGEL BLUE (on Lifetime as MY NEIGHBOR'S DAUGHTER) and executive produced several short films and documentaries, including Shalini Kantayya's film on water A DROP OF LIFE and Emily Squires' FIVE MASTERS OF MEDITATION. Mary received a Tony nomination as producer of the 1989 Broadway musical STARMITES, affectionately known as the best Broadway musical you've never heard of. (starmites.com) The inspiring and spirited story of a teenage girl's adventures as a superhero in her favorite comic book series, STARMITES is still performed enthusiastically in schools all over the country. She partnered with Jim Steinman and Amas Musical Theatre to present an updated STARMITES in NYC in 2001. Mary regards her long experience with this under-recognized show as pivotal to her subsequent creative ventures. Off-Broadway she produced Jon Klein's play LOSING IT at the Provincetown Playhouse in Greenwich Village. She co-authored ENTERPRISE IN THE NON-PROFIT SECTOR (published by The Rockefeller Brothers Fund and Partners for Livable Places, 1981) about revenue-generating activities for nonprofits. Song lyrics are another favorite writing activity. Her lyrics appear on San Francisco-based guitarist/composer Gennaro Cannelora's Wax Trio albums. Her short story Knit One, Purl One won third place in the 2016 Bookshop Santa Cruz 1200-word short story contest. It was the first time she had submitted her writing to a contest. When not relating to others, she reads extensively on current events, the environment, health, history, philosophy, quantum physics, biology and consciousness expansion. Mary practices yoga and buys organic and local at nearby farmers markets and enjoys walking the shores, hills and dales of Northern California with her husband of nine years. In mid-2016, she added grandmother to her list of priorities. In recent years, she has been creating what she calls word-art, her version of micrography, an ancient spiritual practice using inspirational words and expressions to create mandalas and other designs. She posts nature photographs on Instagram at #wordartfromtheheart and has created slideshows of her photos on her youTube channel. She is currently part of a team developing a serious video game about economics. Mary cherishes her ongoing friendship with Linda, begun during their collaboration on COME RAIN OR COME SHINE. She is delighted that their timeless book continues to inspire the friendships in all of our lives. Read More Read Less