The Bliss of Is - by Anna Elkins

The Bliss of Is

Inside this book, you’ll find little poems and paintings. The poems mostly emerged over several years of writing daily for National Poetry Month. I selected thirty favorites and—in keeping with the quick-spirited writing—painted one watercolor a day for a month for each poem. All in celebration of the daily practice of presence. I invite you to that practice. Take a moment to meditate on a poem-painting each day for thirty days, or read them all in thirty minutes, or both! May you enjoy playing in the realm of art + word + spirit. Find it here. 

[2023] ISBN: 9798987168813

The Long Game of Joy - by Anna Elkins

The Long Game of Joy

The Long Game of Joy is the book I wish I could have read before I said “I do.” It’s a blend of memoir, manual, and meditation; interwoven within the story of our first year of marriage, you’ll find practical advice from savvy relationship experts and bits of poetry for those moments when no practicalities will do. You’ll encounter a wild mix of the sacred and mundane—the Enneagram, rivers, the wound-that-heals-us, RITZ-cracker communion, the True Self, corn dogs, and a key thing called zimzum. This is a playbook for couples looking to up their game by practicing grace to live in gratitude, faith to trust, and forgiveness to love. May we celebrate marriage in all its mud and wonder, all its stains and stars. Here’s to the learning curve of love for the win. Find it here.

[2022] ISBN: 9798987168806

Hope of Stones - by Anna Elkins

Hope of Stones

What might a 16th-century Spanish nun and an 18th-century French architect have in common? Saint Teresa of Ávila and Charles-Axel Guillaumot both left behind a mostly invisible legacy. Hers was a vision of the interior castle of the spirit within us. His was to save Paris from collapsing back into the quarries beneath it by building a support city belowground. Today, we can read of the realm The Nun built with her words, and we can visit a fraction of the realm The Architect built beneath Paris. Hope of Stones invites you into a cross-century conversation among The Nun, The Architect, and The Poet that explores the desire to create and connect across time and other unseen things. Winner of the 2021 Stafford/Hall Award for Poetry (Oregon Book Awards). Find it here.

[2020] ISBN: 978-1-950413-21-8

Living Large on Little - by Anna Elkins

Living Large on Little

Poet and painter Anna Elkins has lived a very good life on very little income. Over the years, people have asked her how, and so she gathered her stories and concepts together. In these pages, you’ll find musings on gratitude and grace, encounters with pricey pastries, and ideas for growing the imagination—all part of learning to see obstacles as opportunities and limitations as invitations. May the fruit of our choices be sweet. Find it here.

[2019] ISBN: 9781696266697

And: The Story of More - by Anna Elkins

And: The Story of More

“Once upon a time, in a village at the base of a narrow river valley, the sun rose every single morning, even when people worried it wouldn’t.” So begins the parable of a young girl named Day who chooses to hope for more than the dim and limited world she calls home. In this children’s book for grownups, you are invited to climb with Day, past knowns and unknowns, up to a bright vantage point where choice and possibility reach farther than the eye can see. You are invited to And: The Story of More. Find it here.

[2015] ISBN-13: 978-0615690667

The Space Between - by Anna Elkins

The Space Between

What is the space between two people? Between a promise and its fulfillment? Between heaven and earth? This collection of poetry asks us these questions by weaving what is with what is dreamed. The resulting fabric is fine enough to see heaven through and thick enough keep us warm in earthly winters. Find it here.

[2013] ISBN-13: 978-0615891415

The Honeylicker Angel - by Anna Elkins

The Honeylicker Angel

The card from Aunt Tifi invites Melissa to France, but the contents of the attached package send her into a panic. Taking the biggest risk of her life, Melissa accepts the invitation, quits her job, and journeys to the Canal du Midi to meet her Aunt’s relatives, not knowing the strange and flavorful company they keep. If she can open the eyes of her heart, Mel may see that her life, her loves—her very name—are the sweet harvests of her most bitter fear. Finalist for the National Indie Excellence Awards. Find it here.

[2013] ISBN-13: 978-0615781945

The Heart Takes Flight - by Anna Elkins

The Heart Takes Flight

The Heart Takes Flight is a children’s book for grownups, celebrating all those who wake into their dreams. With its inked images and text, this illustrated vignette invites you to try on your wings. Find it here.

[2012] ISBN-13: 978-0615604534

Books I 've contributed to...

Dare to be Fabulous - by Anna Elkins

Dare to be Fabulous

You can find my essay on gratitude in this anthology, edited by Johanna McCloy: “What does it mean to be fabulous? In this enthralling collection of essays, women from all walks of life explore what it takes to find our own true north, sharing personal stories of successes, mishaps, and often-hilarious surprises along the way. Featuring tenacious mountain climbers, reluctant city drivers, unlikely CIA spies, courageous journalists, and heart-driven animal activists, Dare to be Fabulous invites readers on an inspiring journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance.” Find it here.

[2022] ISBN 13: 978-0997596328

Deep Travel: Souvenirs from the Inner Journey - by Anna Elkins

Deep Travel: Souvenirs from the Inner Journey

Christina Ammon & I edited this collection of writings from five years of workshops: “Deep Travel has led writers from the Himalayan peaks of Nepal to the Saharan sands of Morocco, from the jungles of Mexico to the gitano caves in Spain. Just as compelling as those exterior landscapes we travel are the interior landscapes we encounter—the terrain of own thoughts and emotions.  The writers in this anthology address both inner and outer adventures through stories, poems, and vignettes that are as informative as a travelogue yet as revelatory as a journal. During our journeys we collect many things—cactus-silk scarves, handfuls of tin milagros—but the best souvenirs lie within this book: the observations, insights, and reflections that form the heart of Deep Travel.” Find it here.

[2019] ISBN 13: 9781099257124

Strange Tales of World Travel - by Anna Elkins

Strange Tales of World Travel

I created illustrations of the continents and regions where these strange tales occurred. The official blurb: “’What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever seen or experienced?’ Gina and Scott Gaille have traveled to more than 100 countries, including many off-the-beaten-path places in Africa, South America, and Asia. Wherever they go, they ask this question. Everyone has a story, and some are truly extraordinary.” Find it here.

[2019] ISBN-13: 978-1609521691

Blessings: A Children’s Book for Grown-ups - by Anna Elkins

Blessings: A Children’s Book for Grown-ups

What an adventure! My mom asked me to help her write the poems—and to create the illustrations—for this book, which I like to call a “color-outside-the-lines” book. Here’s the official blurb: “Blessings: A Children’s Book for Grown-ups is based on the ancient love story of Song of Songs. Mother and daughter Jan and Anna Elkins wrote the blessings in this book in a simple style for both children and grown-ups to give and receive. The illustrations are simple too; the black-and-white line drawings are meant to be colored, added to—whatever you like. Enjoy these blessings. They were created across generations to be shared across generations. Find it here.

[2019] ISBN-13: 978-0578436982

Reading the River: Applegate Poets in the Landscape - by Anna Elkins

Reading the River: Applegate Poets in the Landscape

The group the Applegate Poets was created almost four years ago as a result of a workshop sponsored by Lawson Inada, a former Oregon Poet Laureate, who encouraged attendants at the workshop to start their own poetry group. About 15 people signed up, and a half a dozen people attended our first meeting. From there, our group has grown into about a dozen regular attendees, and we have held several readings during the past three years at our local libraries and at Pacifica in Williams. Find it here.

[2018] ISBN-13: 978-1717074980

Blessings of Hope & Joy - by Anna Elkins

Blessings of Hope & Joy

Blessings of Hope & Joy is the third book of blessings crafted from Scriptures. True hope and joy are sourced in God; neither depends on circumstance, history, or perceived limitations. Whatever you are facing, may you put your hope in the Lord who gives you peace and is gracious to you. May you take joy in Him as He takes joy in you. Find it here.

[2017] ISBN-13: 978-0692975602

Written Here: The Community of Writers Poetry Review 2016 - by Anna Elkins

Written Here: The Community of Writers Poetry Review 2016

Invite some of the magic of wind on the mountain and warm days in the valley into your mailbox. From the turbulent summer of 2016, 43 poets bring you 67 poems. This edition of Written Here presents a selection of the pieces that emerged from our week of poetry workshops. Edited and designed by participant volunteers from the workshop, it’s a beautiful anthology that reflects a range of subjects, a variety of styles, and concerns that continue today. Edited by Amy Elisabeth Davis, Richard Sime, Christine Gosnay, Abriana Jetté, Trisha Peck, and Roberto Santiago and designed by Cody Gates and Maureen Forys, the book’s profits go to the Community of Writers Scholarship Fund. Every copy you get for yourself or someone else is also a gift to a future participant in the workshop. Find it here.

[2017] ISBN-13 978-0-988895-34-8

Blessings for Love and War - by Anna Elkins

Blessings for Love and War

Blessings for Love & War is the second book of blessings crafted from Scriptures. All of God’s words—written and spoken—reveal His love. Song of Songs describes His word as His breath—a divine kiss of love awakening desire for intimate, spiritual oneness with Jesus. His words of love cast out fear and equip us for battle. These blessings are for the lifelong journey of training for love and war.  Find it here.

[2016] ISBN-13: 978-0692777411

Vignettes & Postcards from Paris - by Anna Elkins

Vignettes & Postcards from Paris

Happy to have a poem in the same pages as former Poet Laureate, Billy Collins: “This new edition of the highly acclaimed Vignettes & Postcards: Writings from the Evening Writing Workshop at Shakespeare and Company Bookstore, Paris, edited by Erin Byrne and Anna Pook, is an invitation to discover what Allen Ginsberg called “the bewildering beauty of Paris.” Find it here.

[2016] ISBN-13: 978-0985267209

Vignettes & Postcards From Morocco - by Anna Elkins

Vignettes & Postcards From Morocco

You can find my poetry and illustrations in this anthology: “As the chergui (desert wind) whips reality into fantasy and the perpetually full tea glass caresses its minty bouquet, from Casablanca to Tangier, from the crush of Marrakech to the ethereal solitude of the Sahara, from a rose festival in the countryside to a betrothal fair high in the Atlas Mountains, in alleyways and on rooftops, in the souks and on plains scattered with ruins, we invite readers to join us as we rotate in a dervish-dance with Morocco.” Find it here.

[2016] ISBN-13: 978-1944387068

Wings: Gifts of Art, Life and Travel in France - by Anna Elkins

Wings: Gifts of Art, Life and Travel in France

I created over 100 illustrations for this book by Erin Byrne: “Wings: Gifts of Art, Life and Travel in France is a collection of essays drawn from Byrne’s travels across the country. From Cézanne’s studio in Aix-en-Provence to a tiny village in the Jura Mountains, from a traditional bistro on the Left Bank of Paris to a plain high above the Normandy beaches, she travels through France collecting stories, characters, tastes and secrets that act as ingredients for change, then takes those experiences and digs deeper to uncover meaning.” Find it here.

[2016] ISBN-13: 978-1609521134

From the Heart of the Applegate - by Anna Elkins

From the Heart of the Applegate

I’m happy to have a poem included in the “first-ever anthology of original written works showcasing some of the talented residents of southern Oregon’s Applegate Valley, renowned for its pastoral scenery, its recreational opportunities, its wineries—and now, its writers.”  Find it here.

[2016] ISBN-13: 978-0692604069

A Book of Blessings - by Anna Elkins

A Book of Blessings

I had the honor to work with my marvelous Mom, Jan Elkins, on A Book of Blessings. “A blessing can be many things: the words of one who blesses, God’s favor or mercy, and invoking that favor upon another. The blessings in this collection are formed from one or more Scriptures. Read them over yourself and others. May the Lord Himself bless you.” Find it here.

[2015] ISBN-13: 978-0692516621

Versfabrik - by Anna Elkins

Versfabrik

Can a computer write poetry? The Versfabrik—Poetry Generator—did. Adam Seide and the students of the Center for Art and Media Technology in Karlsruhe created a word bank, set various parameters, and let a computer assemble poems. The results were new, surprising…and surprisingly good. I had the joy of participating in the project as a poet in Germany during my Fulbright Fellowship. My essay, “What a poet thinks about a poetry generator,” appears in this book. Find it here.

[2003] ISBN-13: 978-3934818422

Poetry Writing: Theme & Variations - by Anna Elkins

Poetry Writing: Theme & Variations

Make reading and modeling an integral part of your creative writing class with Poetry Writing: Theme and Variations. Students will learn both the style and the substance of poetry by modeling their writing on professional poems. Each chapter opens with one of fifty poems from a distinguished group of twentieth-century American writers, including Robert Frost, Rita Dove, Mary Tall Mountain, and Gary Soto. The text is organized chronologically by the poets’ year of birth to help students see how history has affected the subjects and styles of poetry. The poetic elements and topics occurring in each of the model poems are discussed. A student’s response is presented, allowing writers to see how other beginning poets respond to the models and encouraging them in their own writing. The ‘Your Turn’ exercises prompt writers toward a response of their own based on the style, subject, or elements of the professional and student model poems. Find it here.

[1999] ISBN-13: 978-0844203430

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