International Memoir Writers Association would like to congratulate
2022 November Member of the Month…Mary Ann Horton!
How did you first discover IMWA?
MH: I found the group table at the 2019 San Diego Book Fair. The members have been great resources for me as an author.
Have you always been a writer?
MH: I was a kid; I wrote an 8 page children’s book “A Beaver’s Story” in pencil and crayon. As an adult, I had to write technical papers to explain how to use computer programs, so I learned to explain clearly. This led to publication of my technical reference book “Portable C Software” in 1990. After retiring, I had a new challenge: write a memoir that real people would enjoy reading.
We’d love to hear about what you are presently writing.
MH: My raw material autobiography has 200,000 words, partly computer stories, partly trans stories, partly just life. I’ll write a second memoir, talking about the computer stuff. My challenge will be to dig into technology and still make it fun to read.
Who are your favorite authors? Favorite memoirs?
MH: I grew up loving science fiction: Arthur C Clark, Robert Heinlein. Now I read mysteries, civil rights novels, and of course memoirs. I’ve especially enjoyed memoirs by Janet Mock, Elvira, and our own Laura L Engel.
Any advice for new writers?
MH: Learn how to show instead of tell up front. I had a lot of “tell” written before I knew better. Keep reading, keep writing, and keep learning.
Mary Ann, please tell us about your book.
MH: You may not know that 25 years ago, transgender workers were routinely fired when their employers found out they were changing their sex. This changed in 1997, when Lucent Technologies became the first Fortune 500 company to formally commit to not discriminate based on “gender identity, characteristics, or expression”. The 25th anniversary of that historic policy was this October 28, and I was the instigator.
When I came out it freed up energy, I spent hiding myself, my performance soared, and I was able to focus on the needs of the business. I’m now retired and financially secure.
I’ve given transgender education workshops, and people told me that my personal story was the best part, so I wrote a memoir “Trailblazer: Lighting the Path for Transgender Inclusion in Corporate America”. My memoir tells the story of my life as a trans woman and as an activist, and was released on October 28, the 25th anniversary. If you know someone who is transgender, or want to learn more about diversity & inclusion, check it out on Amazon.
What’s something unique or special about you, that you’d like others to know?
MH: I’ve had an interesting life in technology as well as trans activism. One fun tidbit is that I invented the email attachment while a grad student at Berkeley in 1980.
Dr. Mary Ann Horton is a transgender activist, an author, an internet pioneer and a computer architect. She earned her PhD in Computer Science from UC Berkeley, spent 20 years with Bell Labs and retired from San Diego Gas & Electric, where she protected the power grid from hackers. In 1997 she persuaded Lucent Technologies to be the first Fortune 500 company to add transgender-inclusive language to their nondiscrimination policy, earning her the Trailblazer Outie Award, and inspiring her to write her memoir “Trailblazer: Lighting the Path for Transgender Inclusion in Corporate America.”