Mary C. M. Phillips

Mary C. M. Phillips is a writer, poet, and musician.

Her poems have been widely published in journals and anthologies from publishers such as:  Tiny Seed Press, Plants and Poetry, Bards Initiative, Red Penguin, Wingless Dreamer, EyePublish, Local Gems, and Fevers of the Mind. See “menu” for full list of publications.  

Mary’s poems are displayed in public transportation via WordHive’s POETRY-IN-TRANSIT campaign (Lancaster, PA) in which commuters are met with inspiring poetry during their daily commute.

“As a former New York subway commuter, I remember transit poems having the power to alter my environment,” says Mary C.M. Phillips, a Lancaster-based poet who moved to Lancaster from New York City and has poems featured in the Poetry in Transit program.  “They were able to change my dreary commute into a time of reflection and inspiration,” she says.  “I wanted to do the same for others.” – LNP MEDIA

Mary, an encourager at heart, believes that inspiring words can transform lives.  She is a frequent contributing writer for the bestselling series, Chicken Soup for the Soul (Simon and Schuster) as well as other inspirational anthologies.

As a spoken-word artist, Mary has performed (live and online) at The Walt Whitman Historical House in Hungtington, NY; WCWP college radio; WordHive; The Columbia Watch Museum (Time and Eternity Series); Oceanside Library’s Summer Gazebo Readings; Women’s Worship events; Northport’s Poets-in-Port; and various New York public libraries.

As a musician, Mary has recorded and toured with numerous recording artists including Matthew Sweet, Chris Stamey, The Wygals, Don Dixon, Marti Jones, and the 80s synthpop duo, Venus II (with good friend, Cathy Harrington). Her 2021 spoken-word album, Music of the Forest (Rock-it Science Records NYC), was produced by husband/guitarist, Mark Phillips, and is available on  iTunes, streaming platforms, and CDs (sold at poetry events).

As a reader, Mary is particularly fond of the works of Jane Austen, Edith Wharton, Ann Radcliffe, and J.R.R Tolkien. Her short stories, as in the book, What Jane Austen Didn’t Tell Us, falls into the genre of Austen fan-fiction. She blogs about books, poetry, and spoken word (here!) at CaffeineEpiphanies.com.  

To satisfy her lyrical life, Mary enjoys composing poems, recording spoken-word, playing bass in a worship band, and writing in the third person.