Judy Tierney lived as a washashore on Block Island, RI for fourteen years. Prior to moving there year-round she was a long-time summer cottager, vacationing there with her family, her beloved dog Tuffy and a cantankerous cat. She worked as a correspondent for the Block Island Times and won three New England Press Awards for her work at that newspaper. Her book of essays and memoirs, Passing Time in Winter, Block Island Style, written in 2021, recalls her life as a washashore.
In her mainland years, she was a clinical specialist in psychiatric- mental health and an environmental activist.
