Elizabeth Oxley is a poet and writer living in the foothills of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. She studied languages and literature at Franklin University Switzerland, Brown University, and Georgetown University. Elizabeth has attended poetry workshops at Aspen Summer Words, Key West Literary Seminar, Lighthouse Writers' Workshop, and Napa Valley Writers' Conference—all of which have contributed to her love and learning of the craft.
Elizabeth's poems and writing have appeared in literary journals, newspapers, and magazines. See below for links to some of her published works.
Say hello via the contact form below.
PUBLICATIONS
"Impeachment"
Poetry Illuminated,
A Project of the Mill Valley Public Library
"Driving West, I Eat Swedish Fish"
Frontier Poetry
"Expelling Venus" & "After April Rain"
Motherscope Magazine
Boneshaker: A Bicycling Almanac
"Alpaca"
"Women"
The Poetry Review
"Biracial"
"A Reason to Crow"
"Susquehanna Mine"
Boulder Weekly
The Colorado Independent
"Poetry Lesson After the Las Vegas Shooting"
"Sparrows"
GOOD THINGS
1st Place
2nd Place
2015 Denver County Fair Poetry Competition
(Lighthouse Writers Workshop)
Denver, Colorado
A LOVE STORY
I remember it vividly: my childhood bedroom painted tutti-frutti pink. I don't recall why I chose that color. Me—a quiet, book-loving girl—next to all of that bold, confident pink. I spent a great deal of my time separated from it, sitting inside my walk-in closet, hanging out with a stack of books and a reading lamp. I kept company with Ramona Quimby, stories like Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. I dreamed of becoming a writer.
I studied literature in college but could never figure out how to manifest my writing dream. One after another, things got in the way. I got in my way. I'd almost given up by the time I met John.
My neighbor in a western mountain town, John was an atmospheric physicist and accomplished poet. He suggested we meet to talk about poetry. Our poetry. I still don't know why he thought I had any to my name. I loved writing and reading, yes. But poetry? It was unfamiliar terrain. I found it daunting, even a little terrifying.
We set a date to get together. I procrastinated writing. At last, I sat down at my kitchen table and tried my hand at a poem. I felt like a fraud. Soon, however, something else took over. I felt pulled into poetry's tide. I wrote one small poem and then several more. In the days that followed, I couldn't get enough. It felt like poetry was calling, and I had no choice but to answer. It felt a lot like love.
Since that time, I've been fortunate to make friends of other poets. I've also benefited from the generous instruction of gifted workshop instructors. While I primarily write poetry, I'm also saying hello to fiction. Whatever form my writing takes, it's the mystery of language I adore. If you do, too, please drop me a line below. I'd love to hear from you.
