Wentworth was born Marjory Heath on June 3, 1958, in Lynn, Massachusetts, and raised in nearby Swampscott.
Adding further hardship was the fact that her father, John, a purchasing agent for Parker Brothers, died of leukemia when she was just 14 years old.
[1][4] She graduated from Mount Holyoke College (where she majored in anthropology, political science, and dance)[1] and went on to receive her M.A.
While at NYU, she studied under Galway Kinnell, Phil Levine, Joseph Brodsky, and Carolyn Forché.
In 1993, she started teaching as an adjunct instructor at Trident Technical College in North Charleston, South Carolina.
Shortly after relocating, though, Hurricane Hugo hit the area hard and they were unable to live in their house for nearly a year.