Hello!
I’m Mary
Edwards-Porter.
I was born quite a long time ago now so have managed
to fit in a few careers already before turning to writing!
I’ve had a
life-long interest in nature, and, as I’ve always enjoyed sharing
my interest with other people it was a natural choice for my first
career to be teaching. I taught science and biology for 11 years,
based in Suffolk. Always a kid at heart, it was soon obvious that the
best thing about teaching was the after-school nature clubs that I
helped with over the years - birdwatching, pond dipping, and all
those lovely things I had never grown out of.
As the years went
by, I decided it was time I left school and did what I really loved.
There followed contracts with the RSPB (Royal Society for the
Protection of Birds) in Anglesey and Norfolk, and then a full-time
post with the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, where I stayed for over 30
years. During that time, I organised the publicity, media and events
and oversaw Lincolnshire’s Wildlife Watch Club (the junior club of
the Wildlife Trusts).
Writing and
Broadcasting
Alongside this,
an interest in broadcasting and writing also developed. I have
written many non-fiction articles, both for children and adults about
wildlife, been an editor for a Wildlife Trusts in-house magazine, and
have regularly broadcasted on BBC Radio Lincolnshire.
I currently do a
weekly wildlife audio diary for the commercial, digital station “Boom
Radio” and I’m an occasional contributor to the weekly “Loving
Your Garden” podcast.
The highlight of
my broadcasting experiences (and probably my life!) has got to be the
day in 1998, when I interviewed my life-long hero, Sir David
Attenborough, for BBC Radio Lincolnshire. He was guest of honour at
the 50th Anniversary of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust
and spent the day happily chatting to everybody. It is said that you
should never meet your hero, but Sir David didn’t disappoint. He
was exactly as you see him on the screen.
Events and Talks
One
of my great passions is gardening for wildlife. To help “spread the
word”, I do speaking engagements to groups, such as WI’s and
gardening clubs. I’ve also done workshops on wildlife gardening,
especially pond creation.
With the arrival of “Dragons of
Doggerland” I also enjoy storytelling/meet the author sessions in
libraries, schools and other groups.
Storytelling at Woodhall Spa library, Lincolnshire 2023
Fiction
writing
“Dragons
of Doggerland” is my first foray into children’s fiction and will
be the first in a trilogy of dragon/human adventures – “Dragons
of Doggerland Chronicles”.