Mary Frances Coady was born in Saskatchewan and grew up in Alberta. She now lives in Toronto. Her short work has appeared in The Antigonish Review, The Dalhousie Review, The Fiddlehead, Whetstone, Commonweal, The Tablet, and other publications. She has taught at Centennial College and Sheridan College, and most recently she has taught in The School of Professional Communication at Ryerson University in Toronto.
She has also worked as an editor and creative writing instructor. Her first two books, Steve Podborski: Fast, Faster, Fastest! and Champion on Wheels: A Biography of Jocelyn Lovell, were published in the 1980s.