Mary Chamberlain was born and raised in London. She has lived and worked in England and the Caribbean, and is Emeritus Professor of History at Oxford Brookes University. Her book Fenwomen was the first to be published by the feminist Virago Press in 1975 and was one of the inspirations for Caryl Churchill's award-winning play Fen. She has written many books on subjects including women's history, oral history, and Caribbean history. She is a graduate of the acclaimed creative writing master's degree program at Royal Holloway, University of London, and now lives in London with her husband, the political scientist Stein Ringen.
