Mary is the originator of the term “The Long Middle,” a phrase she coined to describe the quiet, disorienting stretch of life after a crisis ends but before a new life fully forms. Her work gives language to an experience millions of people live through but rarely name.

Storyteller of the Long Middle

Mary Monoky writes about the Long Middle—the quiet, uncertain stretch of life that follows crisis, illness, or upheaval. A longtime patient and survivor of complex chronic illness, Mary brings more than twenty-five years of lived experience, a Master of Social Work, and a lifetime of resilience to her work.

She survived a season on hospice she was never expected to outlive, and the years that followed reshaped her understanding of strength, surrender, and the slow rebuilding of a life.

Her writing blends personal story, presence, and narrative medicine. She invites readers into the truth of healing—not the triumphant version we often celebrate, but the long, uneven return to self that happens one ordinary day at a time.

Mary’s mission is simple:
to give companionship, language, and clarity to anyone navigating the Long Middle.

Her work has been published in Brevity Blog, and she is currently completing The Compass Points Framework, a narrative-nonfiction guide for life after survival.

What I Write About

Mary’s stories live where the body, memory, and meaning intersect. She writes about:

• surviving what was never supposed to happen

• the body’s memory after illness

• the slow rebuild of identity and daily life

• presence, stillness, and quiet strength

• the return of beauty after devastation

• the Long Middle itself — the in-between season of becoming

Her readers often describe her work as a hand on the shoulder — a steady presence for the days when they’re doing their best just to stay upright.

Start Here

A few pieces that best introduce Mary’s voice:

• Why the Long Middle Exists
  A gentle doorway into the experience so many people live but rarely name.

• What Remains
  -coming soon

• You Don't Look Sick
  A reflection on invisible illness and the disconnect between appearance and reality.

• Naked in the Dark
  A raw, unfiltered moment when the body gives out and survival becomes a quiet, private act of courage.

• Sparrows Over an Empty Stomach
  A reflection on vulnerability, hunger, and the small winged beauties that remind us we’re still alive.

• No Guardrails
  A story about navigating life when the familiar supports fall away, and learning to move forward without a map.

• I Felt Her Leave
  A quiet, intuitive piece about connection, timing, and the mysterious knowing that arrives before the phone rings.

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You can reach me through the contact form at the bottom of my home page

Welcome,

I am

Mary Monoky