Bio and CV
Introduction: A Northwest writer, storyteller, and educator, Rebecca holds an M.A. in English Literature from the University of Washington with an emphasis in Medieval Literature, oral narrative, and Puget Sound Salish storytelling traditions. She is a Washington State Artist In Residence and has toured internationally as a storyteller. Rebecca teaches interdisciplinary courses at the Evergreen State College in literature, storytelling, writing and poetry that explore illuminated manuscripts, medieval literature, comparative mythology, cultural studies, mytho-poetics and natural history.
Rebecca grew up on the beaches and forests of Whidbey Island where her poetry, writing, and storytelling was rooted in a love of nature and myth. She is fascinated with the interplay between oral and manuscript traditions, word and image, and the mytho-poetic relationship between inner and outer worlds. Her poetry reflects an interest in how dreaming and creativity shape our sense of culture, community, and relationship to the natural world. Her work is influenced by an eclectic mix that includes: medieval literature, folklore, William Blake, the Romantics, the Transcendentalists, natural history writing, world mythology, Native American language and storytelling traditions, and ecstatic and mystical poets. She is also interested in “Poetic Justice,” how the performance of poetry and story as healing arts can renew creativity, imagination, and a primary connection to the natural world.