Mary Quinn Doyle, Unique Maine Farms Documentarian
Name: Mary Quinn Doyle
Occupation: educator, writer, photographer
Place of Residence: West Newfield, Maine
Background and Personal History: Mary Quinn Doyle is always interested in seeking various employment opportunities that would enable flexibility for raising her four children with her husband. Mary has enjoyed working as a docent coordinator at an estuarine research reserve, writing and taking photos for four newspapers, serving as a public relations coordinator for a school district and a social services agency, and writing a book entitled Newfield: Notes From Shady Nook, a collection of nature and historical essays relating to the town of Newfield, Maine. Although she has not taught in the classroom for many years, Mary has kept her Maine 7-12 English and social studies teacher certification current.
Interests: The Doyle family has traveled extensively through Ireland, bartering their photography and website work for accommodations in over 120 hostels. Mary has volunteered to host the Unique Irish Hostels and Unique Irish Experiences websites for many years. This cultural exchange work proved to be a factor in motivating her to follow a similar journey traveling throughout her home state of Maine and documenting the many unique farms.
An appreciation for agriculture has always been a priority for the Doyles. In the 1970’s and 1980’s, the Doyle family raised goats and pigs, tended gardens, planted a large variety of lilacs and ornamental trees, and ran a wholesale and retail perennial, herb, and vegetable seedling business. They had four greenhouses, including one of the first commercial solar underground greenhouses in the state.
Current Projects: Because Maine is so blessed with a diversity of agricultural undertakings, Mary was inspired as a writer and photographer to create the Unique Maine Farms’ project. The project includes photos and stories of over 180 farms in Maine. Educational outreach takes place through a traveling photo exhibit, slideshow and discussion program, a 296-page book, and a comprehensive website, UniqueMaineFarms.com.
To raise money for the educational outreach components of the Unique Maine Farms’ program Mary has created the Maine Used Books fundraising project. She has begun listing thousands of new and used books on all different topics for sale on www.MaineUsedBooks.com. There is a large selection of used farming, gardening, and unique cookbooks on this website.
Other Fun Facts: For several years, Mary designed and made art rubber stamps and conducted art educational workshops with rubber stamps. She is presently working on designing an interactive farm-related puppet workshop for youngsters and for those who are “young at heart.” She has collected over one thousand puppets that can be viewed on the Puppets for Everyone website. She is presently looking for an organization that would welcome her to set up a puppet museum where the puppets would be accessible. Her dream is to facilitate puppet activities with children and adults that focus on world folk tales with an emphasis on agriculture.
More Places to Find Mary on the Web:
