Mary Smith
Author, Journalist, Novelist, Poet
United KingdomBiography
Mary Smith writes fiction and non-fiction, is a freelance journalist and a poet. She lives in south west Scotland whose landscape is a source of inspiration for her poetry. The history of the area and the astonishingly high numbers of creative artists living in the region provide endless material for her journalism. Much of her work, though, is informed by her years of living and working in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Her experiences of working with Afghan women, many of whom became close friends, in both the city and remote rural areas, mean she brings a high degree of authenticity to her work.
More information on Mary Smith and her work, including samples of poetry and magazine features can be found on her website.
Books by Mary Smith
This is Mary Smith's first full collection of poetry and the poems cover many landscapes from the wilds of Scotland to the stunning and dramatic mountains of Afghanistan. Thousands Pass Here Every Day is equally wide-ranging in its subject matter from memories of childhood to family loss; from lives lived with war as a constant backdrop to observations of Scottish city life
Drunk Chickens and Burnt Macaroni is a remarkable memoir which allows the reader to enjoy an insight into the lives of ordinary Afghan women - and their families - living both in remote villages of the Hazara Jat region and in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif. Author, Mary Smith spent several years in Afghanistan working for a small mother and child health project, often spending months at a time with her young son in the villages where she shared the hopes, fears, laughter and tears of the women who became her friends.
Set in Afghanistan, No More Mulberries is the story of Scottish-born Miriam and her Afghan husband Dr Iqbal. Miriam loves her work at a rural health clinic in Afghanistan but is aware of cracks appearing in her marriage, though she doesn't know what is going wrong - only that her husband seems to be changing and is no longer the man she married.