Skye says:

It is an honor to feature the bio and work of Mary Anne Cohen. If not for her, (and other birthmother pioneers), I'd hate to see where the state of birthmother advocacy and empowerment would be. As a more recent birthmother myself, I have a lot to learn from Ladies like Mary Anne -- Thank you Mary Anne!

Mary Anne Manning Cohen surrendered her firstborn son for adoption since as an unwed mother in the 60's she had few other options. Her son was born in 1968. She is married and the mother of three more sons, age 33, 29, and 23. She has been active in adoption reform since 1975, and was a member of ALMA in its early years. She was a founding member of Concerned United Birthparents in 1976 , a member of American Adoption Congress since its inception, including several years as a Board member. She is one of the Co Founders of Origins, a birthmother support group in NJ, and Origins NJ newsletter editor for many years.

Mary Anne is also a supporting member of Bastard Nation, the Adoptee Rights Group. She has written for the Bastard Quarterly, CUB Communicator, and many other adoption reform publications. She has presented workshops at AAC and CUB and other local conferences, and has appeared on several talk shows including Maury Povich and Good Morning America supporting open records and adoption reform.

She is a poet and essayist, and author of "A Birthmother's Journey: Essays on Loss and Reunion" for which she is currently seeking a publisher. This book is a collection of essays taken from Origins Newsletter on topics relevant to birthmothers who surrendered under the closed adoption system, and professionals who work with them. Mary Anne has years of experience as a peer counselor, support group leader, and adoption reform activist. She has been involved with trying to get open records legislation passed in New Jersey for 25 years with NJ Coalition and other groups.

She is an avid reader, cat lover, beach lover, and has an interest in all things Celtic. She is fiercely proud of her Irish and Polish heritage and her Catholic Ethnic roots. Her "day job" is as a salesclerk, but she has a BA in art and an interest in psychology and theology, and her vocation is the writing of poetry. She is interested in forging bonds between old and younger birthmothers, and building on what we share rather than fighting about what where we differ. Surrendering a child has been a source of deep regret for her, as for many other birthmothers of her generation, but she does not feel that being anti-adoption is the answer.

Mary Anne can be reached at maireaine@hexatron.com