Hi! I’m Mary. Nice to meet you. Thanks so much for joining me here.

Who am I and what do I write?

I’m a freelance writer most passionate about researching and writing human-interest-centered pieces that explore the interweaving social, political, historical, economic, religious, and existential issues and movements affecting marginalized communities globally, with a particular focus on and commitment to amplifying the voices and stories of immigrant, refugee, and BIPOC communities through my work.

Additionally, I adore writing and learning about topics in the realms of: language learning (for context: I speak Russian rustily, French at a preschool level (but I’m committed to improving this year!), Swahili and Spanish at the level of an overenthusiastically smiley, profusely nodding, “Hi, I’m Mary. It’s nice to meet you!” tourist-with-a-fanny-pack-esque degree of comprehension and charisma (again: committed to improving), and I’ve started dabbling in Irish (current level: slainte, bruscar, and Erin go Braugh!) to supplement the creative authenticity and research/character creation process of the historical fiction novel I’m writing (more on that below)); literature; music; international affairs; historical sagas; politics; social justice, education (especially equitable educational access); the triumph and joyous rebellion of the persistent human spirit in communities told over and over again, overtly or covertly, they’re “less than”; Catholicism (my faith!); Jesus; kind acts; mysteries; missing persons (especially missing persons of color); the arts; salsa dancing; big-ass books; and just anything or anyone in general that allows me to tap into the joie-de-vivres of life in my work. (Of course, there are a multitude of topical minutiae I’m forgetting to list here, but this is my website, not my novel (shocker, dear reader, I know), so those darling little details about me will have to wait to be written about on another day, alas.)

In my ever-evolving cadre of literary party tricks, I’m also happy to reveal I write historical fiction, personal essays, poetry, and short stories, and that I’m currently researching and working on the project of my heart and life (like, I’ve been writing it off-and-on since I was fourteen years old–it’s *that* type of life project): a love-story-in-novel-form that takes place in the years surrounding the Irish Potato Famine, and is heavily, topically centralized around the historical figures and social movements ensconced in the Young Ireland movement from the 1830s, 40s, and 50s. It’s a pretty rad magnum-opus-in-the-making, if I do say so myself.

Overall, if I had to sum myself up as a human, I’d say that I love God, books, people, and service, and I love loving my neighbor as myself. When one or all of these life facets intertwine or manifest in my work, I’m reminded of the sheer blessing it is to get to experience and process this life through the lens of a story.

In other words: I love my job, and I can’t imagine myself as being anything but a writer. 

How can I help you?

Do you have a deep dive, profile, or underreported story you’re itching to commission, but just haven’t quite found the right writer fit for yet? Are you a professional in the education, nonprofit, religious, or social-good-corporate spaces looking for a writer, content strategist, copywriter, communications professional, social media marketer, or some amalmagation of all of the above, to help tell your organization’s and/or clients’ stor(ies) in a way that prioritizes honoring their voices, needs, and experiences above all else?

If so, great news:YOU FOUND ME! You really did! *hugs you profusely* Honey, you’re home!

If you like what you’ve read thus far, I’d love to take the next step in our relationship and chat more about working together at your earliest convenience. You can reach out to me via email at mary.bast.writer [at] gmail [dot] com, or connect with me on my LinkedIn, and together, we can wax poetic about how I can help assuage your needs for a well-told, intricately-woven, viscerally-driven narrative for your publication, organization, or company in our ensuing conversations.

I look forward to connecting with you and getting to know you, and thank you so much again for stopping by my site.

Let’s go change the world with our words and hearts–together–yeah?

Adios (dasvidanya, au revoir, etc. etc.), and God bless you and keep you, my readers and my loves, forever and always. ❤

Paka!