Margaret Nelson, Author
Saving Body and Soul:
The Mission of Mary Jo Copeland

Margaret Nelson is a veteran journalist who has reported and written for a variety of leading publications in the United States and abroad, with stories ranging from breaking news to in-depth human interest feature stories. Her fundamental interest is in bringing inspiring people to broader public attention, whether they figure prominently in the news or are more quietly working behind the scenes to improve the lives of others.

Over the years, Nelson has written for People, Newsweek, USA Today, Time International, BusinessWeek, This Old House and the Los Angeles Times Syndicate, among others. On several occasions, she has been noted for exclusives on newsmaking stories, and a number of her articles have inspired books and movies. She has discussed her work on several television programs, including CNN's "Burden of Proof" with Greta Van Susteren and "Talk Back Live," and has been featured on Minnesota Public Radio and other radio shows nationwide. Her personal work has been encouraged and supported by the Chicago Public Library, The Loft Literary Center and the Target Foundation.

Nelson grew up in Wisconsin and earned her degree in political science, with a journalism minor, from the University of Wisconsin. After graduation, she worked briefly for a daily newspaper, The Paper, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, then married and traveled to Iran as a Peace Corps volunteer. After returning to the states, Nelson and her family spent several years in Chicago, where her two daughters, Elissa and Emily, were born. She earned her Masters of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and later worked with Medill's undergraduate reporting students.

In addition to her reporting and writing work, Nelson has been active in social justice and public policy issues throughout her adult life. She began the women's rights committee of the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference in Chicago, was a founding editor of Basilica, the quarterly magazine of Minneapolis Basilica of St. Mary and is currently fundraising/development chair for the Church of St. Philip's neighborhood outreach programs in north Minneapolis. She mentors young journalists, speaks to journalism classes and is a member, along with a few dozen other published authors, of the informal Minnesota writers' group, "Women Who Write."