Mary Mackey and Theanne Griffith

On the 5/31/23 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:

Award-winning poet and New York Times best-selling novelist Mary Mackey shares about her creative processes for writing in different genres, her founding role in the Sacramento State women’s studies and creative writing programs, and Yee possibilities of discovery in ambiguity. She reads from her book Creativity: Where Poems Begin, an excerpt exploring the pursuit of a unified message when writing. We’re joined in the second half by neuroscientist, children's book author, and UC Davis assistant professor Theanne Griffith, who discusses writing science for 2nd to 4th graders, creating the diverse media she wanted as a kid, and her lab work studying neuron communication.

Mary Mackey has published eight volumes of poetry (including Sugar Zone, winner of the 2012 PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Award for Literary Excellence; and The Jaguars That Prowl Our Dreams, winner of the Erich Hoffer Award for the Best Book Published by a Small Press), a short novel (Immersion—the first novel published by a Second Wave feminist press), and thirteen other novels. Her recently published (2022) non-fiction book Creativity: Where Poems Begin looks at the origins of inspiration.

Mackey’s works have appeared on The New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle Bestseller Lists, sold over a million and a half copies, and been translated into twelve foreign languages including Japanese, Russian, Hebrew, Greek, and Finnish. A screenwriter as well as a novelist and poet, she has sold feature-length screenplays to Warner Brothers as well as to independent film companies. 

Theanne Griffith is a neuroscientist and the award-winning author of the STEM-themed chapter book series, The Magnificent Makers, and co-writes the non-fiction series, Ada Twist, Scientist: The Why Files. Dr. Griffith received her undergraduate degree in neuroscience and Spanish from Smith College and earned her doctorate in neuroscience from Northwestern University. She is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of California Davis, where her lab investigates how our nervous system encodes bodily sensations such as proprioception and pain. Since she was a little girl, Dr. Griffith has loved both storytelling and science. As a children's book author, she blends these two passions, while also working to promote diversity in STEM and inclusive representation in children's media. 

Mary Mackey will read at the Poetry Night Reading Series on June 1st.

Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, subscribe to his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com.