The author is a retired clergy and ordained Elder in the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church, currently living in the greater Richmond area. She has a B.S. degree from James Madison University. Through Philip Morris Inc. and Dr. Charles Dawson at Columbia University, she became a research biochemist, and later entered the Master of Fine Art (MFA) School in poetry at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). She was a biochemist in  the Human Genetics Department at the former Medical College of Virginia, which is now the VCU Medical College. She was a research biochemist at A. H. Robins, and later became the State Immigration Specialist for the Commonwealth managing Federal grants.