Mary Stewart Adams is a Star Lore Historian and host of the weekly public radio program and podcast “The Storyteller’s Night Sky.” Mary published her first book The Star Tales of Mother Goose~For Those Who Seek the Secret Language of the Stars, in 2021, richly illustrated by her sister and long-time collaborator, artist Patricia Delisa.
Through her research in spiritual science and her education in literary arts, Mary has developed a unique, humanities-based approach to understanding our relationship with the stars. Her work is further augmented by an
extensive knowledge of ancient mythologies and fairy tales, which she relates to the research and ideas borne of contemporary astronomy, to offer unique perspectives in the astrosophy, or star wisdom, of our current era.
Mary has traveled extensively in fulfillment of her mission to safeguard the human imagination by protecting our access to the night sky and its stories, and has received numerous honors for her work advocating for dark skies.
As a global advocate for starry skies, Mary led the team that established the 9th International Dark Sky Park in the world in 2011, which later led to her home state of Michigan protecting 35,000 acres of state land for its natural darkness.
In addition to her work as a dark-sky advocate, through which Mary assists communities that seek protection for natural darkness and starry skies, she is a member of the General Council of the Anthroposophical Society in America, and serves on the board of the Great Lakes Branch of the Society.
For further information, please email mary@storytellersnightsky.com)
And thanks for stopping in! Be sure to check out the calendar of events here on the website, tune in for my weekly radio segments, and come cruise the great lakes under starry skies with me throughout the summer. Together we will mastermind a way to keep the star shine growing in all our lives!
Mary Stewart Adams
The Gary R Williams Award for Dark Sky Advocacy for 2006 and 2012 from the Outdoor Lighting Forum, Petoskey, MI
The Dark Sky Defender Award for Outreach and Education in 2012 from the International Dark-Sky Association, Tucson, AZ
Mary was named Environmentalist of the Year in April 2012 by the Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council Traverse City, MI
She received the Innovative Programming Award for 2014 from the Michigan Parks and Recreations Association, Lansing, MI
The Scenic Michigan Heroes Award for 2015 from Scenic Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Under Mary’s auspices as Program Director, the Headlands International Dark Sky Park in Mackinaw City received the following:
The Pure Michigan Pure Award for 2017 from the Michigan Travel Commission, Governor’s Campaign on Tourism, Lansing, MI
The first-ever awarded International Dark Sky Park of the Year Award in 2017 from the International Dark Sky Association, Tucson, AZ
Mary was also instrumental in the legislation (MI HB 5414) passed in July 2012 which protected 21,000 acres of state-owned land for its naturally dark skies. This legislation was amended in 2016 to increase total to 35,000 acres now protected.