Debra Elisa explores joy and sorrow, grief and ecstasy through poetry and fiction and leads workshops inviting others to write. She lives with her husband and dog in Portland, Oregon and loves to lose herself in her backyard garden, along the coast and in lush forest. Her writing has appeared in Kosmos, Oyez Review, Voice Catchers, and other journals. You Can Call It Beautiful is her debut collection of poetry, and she co-hosts The Humble Poets Open Mic in North Portland.
Debra grew up in the shadow of Mount Rainier and fell in love with the land of the Pacific Northwest though longed to travel and learn how people live on the other side of the world.
She studied in Glasgow and lived in the Philippines as a Peace Corp Volunteer. She has sat silent in monasteries, gazed up at birds in a sanctuary, and lived in New England for a half dozen icy winters. She met her husband while traveling in India. Together they rode buses along the Trans-American Highway from Guatemala to Argentina as part of a sabbatical.
She now lives in Portland, Oregon, where they grow food in their backyard garden and can go days without driving a car. She has taught college, leads Poetry Play and other creative workshops, and offers Somatic Bodywork when not writing, cooking, or wandering in the woods or along coastal beaches. She writes to better understand herself and her world and believes that sharing stories can save lives.
She blogs at www.l-i-t.org Live(s) Inspiring Today and welcomes your visit.