Mary Ann Mulhern spent eight years in a convent. She entered a few years after teachers' college. As a young teacher, she enjoyed wearing rich colours, especially red. When she returned to teaching in Windsor, Ontario, wearing a religious habit, children often asked if she could wear colour, "just for one day?" This became the basis for this all-revealing book about the life of a single woman who enters the convent and watches her life become transformed by the strict rules of the church and her religious order. In these revealing poems, Mulhern tackles the delicate realities of a woman becoming aware of her sexuality. She talks both about the decision to become a nun, the first days in the convent " wearing Victorian undergarments, covering her hair, and the shame of one's own burgeoning sexuality " as well as the moment she decides to put that life aside. The poems are strong, incisive and bittersweet in their presentation.

Mary Ann Mulhern began writing poetry in 2001 during a summer writing seminar conducted by John B. Lee at the University of Windsor. In September of 2001, she won first prize in the Freedom Festival Poetry Contest, with her poem about Harriet Tubman, entitled, Freedom's Rail. Marty Gervais, publisher of Black Moss Press, noticed her success and began a mentoring program with her that October. As Mulhern had been in a convent for eight years in the sixties, Gervais asked her to write about her experience. From this came her first book of narrative poetry, The Red Dress, published by Black Moss Press, 2003. The Red Dress received national attention through an interview on Tapestry, CBC radio, with host, Mary Hynes. Another life—experience which she was encouraged to write about was growing up in a "cemetery house," located at the edge of a cemetery in St. Thomas, Ontario, where her father, Patrick was grave—digger and caretaker. This resulted in Touch the Dead, published Black Moss Press, 2006. Touch the Dead was short—listed for the Acorn—Plantos Award in 2007. Mulhern was asked by Marty Gervais to research and write about the Father Charles Sylvester priest sexual—abuse case which was successfully prosecuted by crown attorney, Paul Bailey at the Chatham Court House. Her book When Angels Weep was born out of this research. In 2010, Mulhern published the sequel to The Red Dress entitled Brides in Black. A new collection of poetry titled All the Words Between by Mary Ann Mulhern will be launched on April 4th, 2018 at the Fogolar Furlan in Windsor, Ontario.

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