Penny and Marylou Shira, Sebastopol 2008

Welcome to Marylou Shira’s blog. I’m her daughter, Penny, and I have made it for her. My mom is 85, and I think this will be a great venue for her to share a life’s worth of writing and artwork.  I was inspired by the blog,  Margaret and Helen and thought, “well, Marylou certainly has lots to share.”

As one of her daughters, I’ve witnessed only a portion of my mom’s journey. I know her story includes growing up privileged and Jewish in the South during the depression, civil rights activism, being a working woman before the term even existed, through feminism, divorce, mental illness, lesbian activism, recovery and renewal. She is also an accomplished writer and artist.

I will be in the background – this is Marylou Shira’s blog. Welcome to the world.