Our guest this week is Mary Hansen (The Traveling Archivist Eastern Oregon, Luminare Press, January 2025). We delve into the differences between a librarian and an archivist, how Mary thinks of archival research as a 'creative act', how a PBS documentary provided the inspiration for her debut, and the positives of working with a book coach who doesn't try to change your story. Then she discusses how she initially used SubStack as a safe, low-profile rehearsal space for testing out her unique voice and how her character's rich back story became her follow-up novel.  

Mary B. Hansen is a writer and archivist who understands the power of stories and information to transform lives, including her own. As a writer, Mary uses story to facilitate change and deepen emotion. As an archivist, she sees information, archival and current, as a tool for finding our place in the larger world. Mary is a Certified Archivist with a Master's in Library and Information Science. She is currently focused on writing about archives rather than working in them. She lives and writes in Portland, Oregon with her partner, 2 cats and a very smart Australian Shepherd.

 To learn more about Mary, go to https://marybhansen.com/