George and Nancy Mairs
Tucson
residents since 1972, are new homeowners in Armory Park del Sol's solar
community. Nancy, noted and award-winning author, has taught writing at
Salpointe Catholic High School and the University of Arizona in Tucson,
as well as at the University of California, Los Angeles. A poet and 
essayist,
Nancy's literary awards include the 1984 Western States Book Award in
poetry for In All the Rooms of the Yellow House; an National Endowment
for the Arts fellowship in 1991; and a fellowship from the Soros Foundation's
Open Society Institute's Project on death in America, which supported
the writing of her latest book, A Troubled Guest: Life and Death Stories.
Nancy received her BA from Wheaton College and her MFA in creative writing
and PhD in English literature from the University of Arizona. George,
a graduate of Brown University and Masters of Arts recipient from Boston
University, taught high school English and adult education until his recent
retirement. George volunteers for several organizations including the
Soup Kitchen at Casa Maria.
The Mairs are dedicated to issues of peace and social justice, and are active in the Sanctuary movement and the Catholic Worker. Nancy is currently a Research Associate with the Southwest Institute for Research on Women, and serves on the boards of the Arizona Center for Disability Law, the Amazon Foundation, and the Coalition of Arizonans to Abolish the Death Penalty.
Because Nancy has Multiple Sclerosis and uses a wheelchair, George and Nancy possess intimate understanding of the realities of life for those who are living with physical or mental limitations, and for the people who care for them. Nancy's book of essays, Waist-High in the world: A Life Among the Nondisabled, shares her perspectives on these issues. More information about Nancy's work can be found at www.nancymairs.com.
George
Mairs can be reached at gmairs@msn.com,
and Nancy Mairs can be reached at
nmairs@earthlink.net
