Marilyn Bennett is the author of a couple of pretty good books that people generally liked and said so: We Were Baptized Too: Claiming God’s Grace for Lesbians and Gays (co-authored with James Preston), It Happened in San Antonio (a diversion from other writing but the margarita research was great), and the short out-of-print tome Truth in Progress: Letters in Mixed Company (co-authored with the esteemed Gil Caldwell). She also has a chapter in the St. James Gay and Lesbian Almanac, “Religion and Homosexuality.” Informative if you can find it. Then there are the numerous other articles and stories in obscure magazines and such about sexual orientation, spirituality, art, and activism –usually not all in one essay.

Marilyn lives in Helena, Montana, and since April Fool’s Day, 2005, has held the prestigious -though dubious- distinction as the Writer-in-Residence at the Rodney Street Laundry and Jailhouse Sandwich Shop and Soup Kitchen. At least at the beginning, the sandwich shop has since been moved across the parking lot to the B&B Market. The Laundry has also gone through some changes over the years and now has all new machines, flooring, paint, and a Missing Sock wall. One should point out that she does not live at the Laundry nor does she do her clothes-washing there, but on occasion can be seen writing at one of the tables. Her whereabouts are indicated by the “Writer is In” sign hanging in the window. Her Laundry blog can be found at www.writerrodneystreetlaundry.blogspot.com.

Marilyn claims, to her mother’s dismay, that she is a sixth-generation Texan though she was born in North Dakota and the ancestors she names as the first generation weren’t really born in Texas, just came west in a covered wagon to set up shop there. On Marilyn’s behalf, she did go to 6th grade, junior high, and high school in Amarillo, then Texas A&M University for Business Management, rounding out with a Master of Divinity at Southern Methodist University Perkins School of Theology. Her day jobs have ranged from the Burger King Magician’s assistant, youth minister, US Forest Service survey crew member, development director, non-profit consultant, professional acitivist to humorist (though her bosses did not know they were paying for that). Presently she is the development director at the Myrna Loy Center, an extraordinary performing and media arts center around the corner from the laundromat in the old county jail. She also teaches Nia dance classes downtown at the Dancing Lotus Center.

Finally, Marilyn was until recently the human of the Wonder-where-she-is-Dog Emma Jean Grande (1997-2010). True to a Golden Retriever, Emma’s main motivations were love, food, and cat poop, all charmingly disguised as desire for affection when she wanted a treat or to be let out to seek cat treasures. Her favorite activities were drive-by barkings and solo expeditions around the neighborhood –looking for food sources.