Mary Pipher

Mary Pipher graduated with a degree in cultural anthropology from the University of California at Berkeley in 1969 and received her Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska in Clinical Psychology in 1977. She was a Rockefeller Scholar in Residence at Bellagio and has received two American Psychological Association Presidential Citations, one of which she returned to protest psychologists’ involvement in enhanced interrogations at Guantánamo and other black sites.

Mary was born in the Ozarks and grew up in rural Nebraska. As a girl she liked reading, writing, swimming, being outdoors and talking to her friends and family. She still enjoys these activities. She is also a community organizer and activist for many causes.

Pipher is the author of 11 books including 4 New York Times bestsellers including "Reviving Ophelia" and "Women Rowing North: Navigating Life’s Currents and Flourishing As We Age." Her latest book is "A Life in Light."

Dr. Pipher is the author of "Seeking Peace: Chronicles of the Worst Buddhist in the World"; "The Shelter of Each Other: Rebuilding Our Families"; "Writing to Change the World"; "Letters to a Young Therapist (Art of Mentoring)"; "The Middle of Everywhere: Helping Refugees Enter the American Community"; "Another Country: Navigating the Emotional Terrain of Our Elders"; "Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls"; and "Hunger Pains: The Modern Woman’s Tragic Quest for Thinness."

Dr. Pipher’s "Reviving Ophelia," first published in 1994, broke new ground in helping parents understand the pressures teenage girls face in this culture. It struck a responsive chord and hit the number one spot on the New York Times bestseller list the next year, largely by word of mouth from one parent to another.

The recipient of several awards and honors, Dr. Pipher was awarded the distinguished Presidential Award from the American Psychological Association in 1998. Her short fiction has won numerous awards including the Alice P. Carter Award and recognition in the National Feminist Writer's competition.