Marlene
Taylor writes nonfiction in the form of essays and articles. Most
of her work is on topics of natural history, her collegiate background
and passion. She holds a B.A. degree from the University
of Tennessee in Natural History Interpretation, an individualized program
incorporating botany, ecology, zoology, conservation, and science writing.
In her pieces she strives to bring a little understanding of the natural
world to her readers because she believes conservation comes through understanding
and appreciation. She has worked as a naturalist in three Tennessee
state parks, where she wrote program materials on everything from the history
of the parks to the life histories of their flora and fauna
Her article “Close Encounters of the Lifeless Kind”
was published in the Tennessee Conservationist, a magazine
produced by the Department of Environment and Conservation.
Later she was a columnist in a bimonthly newsletter for the employees and volunteers of the Knoxville Zoo. “News from the Earth” brought attention to timely conservation issues and the wonderful attibutes of the zoo's animals. These pieces were more than factual but raised questions of deep ecology, addressing philosophical issues, such as animal rights and the aesthetic value of living things. She has also written museum and zoo educational materials and an occasional public service announcement for local newspapers. Today Marlene continues her quest for growth and publication. She has incorporated humor and nostalgia into her portfolio, being at the age when one begins to be flooded with childhood memories, and when life’s ludicrous situations beg to be recorded. She has pre-written her epitaph, which is "She never got her hair right." Many stories from her nearly fifteen years as a surgical technician are stored in her subsconsicous and are seeping out in a M.A.S.H.-like form of humor. And her passion for blues music for nearly thirty years (which drove her backstage with such Blues greats as Willie Dixon and Koko Taylor) has created another brand of precious memories longing to be revealed to interested readers. Being a single woman in the "dating world" for twenty years is a book within itself, adding to the library of materials brewing in her heart and soul and working its way out to a written form. Marlene is a KWG board member and belongs to the novel-writing study group--mostly for the camaraderie and the inspiration obtained from hanging out with other writers. She recently started a nonfiction study group, which meets the fourth Wednesday of each month at Borders, 7:00 p.m. in the café. She warmly welcomes any other members interested in swapping stories to attend. "Without child," "barren," or however one wants to describe it, Marlene chooses to share her home with five --yes, five cats. She is probably the least traveled person one could know nowadays, though she has lived in Oklahoma City and San Jose (no travel articles here.) She is a full-blooded East Tennesseean, born and raised in Jefferson County and with roots firmly planted here. She nurtures her relationships with her family and friends, and attends to her elderly parents as often as possible. Besides writing, she dabbles in sewing, designs and makes jewelry, and is a semiprofessional pianist (if you ask her, she’ll play.) She acquires energy from yoga, which she needs for the home repair she does. She currently serves on the Nine Counties One Vision task force for Animal Welfare. Presently in her third career and having just fallen into such a predicament, Marlene works as a risk management assistant in Corporate America. Restlessness, however, is pushing her to make plans for a fourth career, hopefully one that will provide the fulfillment she's spent half a lifetime seeking. |
