About Mary
What’s a “Dot” Girl?
A Dot Girl (or guy) is someone who grew up in Dorchester, MA, affectionately known as “Dot.” The neighborhood, the people, and the experiences of growing up there in the 1960s and ’70s are at the heart of Dyer Straits.
Why Did I Write Dyer Straits?
Because truth is often stranger than fiction. While celebrities are given platforms to tell stories of overcoming dysfunction, ordinary lives rarely get heard. My family’s history is just as rich and complicated as any tied to a well-known name, often told by a ghostwriter. I wanted to show, in my own words, that ordinary lives can be just as compelling, full of people doing extraordinary things to overcome the odds.
My family grew up in Dorchester during the ’60s and ’70s, and like so many others, our roots go back several generations. On social media, Dorchester natives share memories of the streets we played on, the schools we attended, the neighbors we knew, and the adventures, misadventures, hard lessons, and losses many of us experienced. Rather than scatter these memories across social media, I wanted to capture my family’s Dot experience in one place. That’s why I wrote Dyer Straits.
My passion for writing began in my early years in the Boston Public Schools. From fifth grade through high school, I won essay and poetry contests and wrote for my high school newspaper. At sixteen, I won an essay contest sponsored by the Boston Herald and hosted by the JFK Library in Dorchester. I wrote most of my essays about the band that bonded me and my seven siblings—the Beatles. My creative journey continued into my twenties, when I penned original lyrics as the lead singer of an original rock band with my brother, Dan. My path of performing and writing culminated in my memoir, Dyer Straits, a testament to personal growth and resilience.
Painting landmarks from Dorchester and the greater Boston area is one of my hobbies. My canvases include wood, propane tanks, and household items like vases and mugs. I also give shabby, discarded furniture a new lease on life. My pieces can be seen on Facebook at Art by Alma.
Proceeds from sales of all Dorchester pieces I paint are donated to animal shelters around New England.
My love for genealogical research revealed a family link to Mary Dyer, a 17th-century Quaker martyr from Boston.
I live in New England with my husband, Bill, and our pampered Florida rescue dog, Chaqui Girl.
