Marilyn Grunwald, MPA
Writer is not the only job title Marilyn Grunwald has had in her 70 years. Whether in her second home in Los Angeles County, New York, London, or Edinburgh she has tried nearly every profession that interested her. In fact, her first book is a closure of a circle that began as a precocious seven-year-old when she first attempted playwriting. Her family deemed her efforts "poor" because all her characters were always eating.
Now, she realizes that was because mealtime was the only time everyone spoke. This revelation joined many others, totally hidden from her, until she wrote Tales from my Yellow Room.
A large part of her adulthood centered on Democratic politics.
Since her days as a Girl Scout in Scotland, Marilyn Grunwald has always given back to her community. She received the first of many awards for running the snack bar at Buckhaven Technical College's Friday Night Hop in 1968.
Her political activism began in the East San Fernando Valley with the Stop the Recall campaign, mounted to thwart a gun-lobby recall effort against Hon. David Roberti. At that time. parents throughout the state were reeling from the shock of the Stockton shooting. Marilyn and her husband, David, were concerned for their daughter, Maria.
Volunteering in that successful effort led to being a Roberti for Treasurer Campaign staffer. In the next 25 years, she has spent much of her time and talents volunteering on various boards, charities, and political campaigns.
Her commission work included being the longest-serving member of the Disabilities Access Commission of the L.A. Dept. of Building & Safety, originally appointed by Mayor James K. Hahn, and re-appointed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
A past secretary/treasurer of the Southern California Chapter of the National Writers Union, and Disabilities Caucus Chair, Marilyn's writing always includes people of different ethnicities and various disabilities. None more so than FiSH AnD ChIPS Wrapped in Fivers, being published in 2024.
Marilyn Grunwald lives in Santa Clarita, CA. These days, Maria is a public school teacher at Valley Academy of Arts and Sciences and a mother of four.