Mary Strong JacksonMary Strong Jackson was born and raised in Western Nebraska with short but important periods in Washington and Oregon. As a social worker, Mary has worked in Nebraska, New Mexico, and England. Before getting her degree in social work and an MA in Eduation, she began writing poetry at her kitchen table, as a stay-at-home mother of three. Poetry transformed mundane daily chores into validations of her life. Her work has focused on adults, foster children, and their parents with diagnoses of mental illness. In her desire to give voice to those with mental illness, she collaborated with clients to create a book of prose and poetry, titled, Singing Under Water. Mary's poetry has appeared in journals and anthologies in the United States and England. Her chapbook titles are The Never-Ending Poem, Witnesses, No Buried Dogs, Between Door and Frame, and Clippings. She was included in a 2005 Nebraska Educational Television program featuring United States Poet Laureate, Ted Kooser. Mary resides in Appleton, Wisconsin. Read More Read Less