Mercedes Lawry was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA and has lived in Seattle, WA for over thirty years. Her work has appeared in Poetry, Rhino, Nimrod, Poetry East, Seattle Review, and others. A chapbook, There Are Crows in My Blood, was published by Pudding House Press in 2007 and Happy Darkness was released by Finishing Line Press this past summer. She has also published fiction as well as stories and poems for children. Among the honors she’s received are awards from the Seattle Arts Commission, Hugo House, and Artist Trust.