Marisa P. Clark is a queer writer who grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and came out in Atlanta. Her writing appears or will appear in Shenandoah, Cream City Review, Nimrod, Epiphany, Crab Creek Review, Foglifter, Rust + Moth, Texas Review, Folio, and elsewhere. Best American Essays 2011 recognized her creative nonfiction among its Notable Essays. She lives in New Mexico with three parrots, two dogs, and whatever wildlife and strays grace her with their visits.