Mary Lindsay Interlandi (1983-2003) grew up in Nashville, Tennessee with her two older sisters, her dog Cherokee, and her parents. At The University School of Nashville, she was immersed in theater, vocal music, dance, djembe drumming, ultimate frisbee, fine art, and creative writing. She traveled to Nepal during the summer of 2000. In 2001, she attended Brown University where she planned an interdisciplinary major in Contemplative Studies. During breaks from college, she wrote for The Rage, an arts newspaper in Nashville, studied philosophy with her grandfather, and performed slam poetry.