Mary Oppen

A black and white photo of Mary Oppen outside, with trees in the background.
Michael Butler

Mary Oppen (1908–1990) was born in Kalispell, Montana, and spent her adolescence in the Pacific Northwest. She was a writer, painter, activist, and lifelong partner of the poet George Oppen. Besides her singular autobiography, Meaning a Life (Black Sparrow Books, 1978), she published two collections of poetry, Poems & Transpositions (Montemora Foundation, 1980) and the chapbook Mother and Daughter and the Sea (Black Mesa Press, 1981).