I am a writer, theatre artist, live arts producer and arts educator whose work over the past 40 years has evolved at the intersection of arts and activism. I currently live in Hamilton, Ontario with my husband, composer Beverly Glenn-Copeland. In collaboration with other artists, we collaboratively run 'Under the Wire Productions', a production company focused on vision-led multi-disciplinary art.
Short stories, poems and personal essays have been published in Resilience Magazine, Deep Times Journal, Forge Journal, The Furious Gazelle, Circa - A Journal of Historical Fiction and What Rough Beast, to name a few. An excerpt from my novel, "Traeh Gnul - Miranda's Journey from the Great Forest" won the 2014 Writers Federation of New Brunswick Young Adult Fiction Award. In 2017, with the support of Mount Allison University, I wrote, directed and produced the spoken-word play, "Bearing Witness". "Daring to Hope at the Cliff's Edge: Pangea's Dream Remembered" was written during a year-long arts/science residency at the Joggins Fossil Institute, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the mighty Bay of Fundy in 2017/18.
“Lyrical, bewildering, heartening, and unsettling, this work sees an individual voice reckoning with the overwhelming complexity of our present moment.” ~ Nick Storring, Musician and music journalist
"...timeless and timely, ancestral and modern, serious and whimsical. Be prepared for a journey of the moral imagination, an invitation into a council of all beings, and a unique experience that will leave you inspired, moved, and daring to hope."
~Della Duncan, Ecological Economist
"..myth, Indigenous lore, geological science, song, storytelling, current events, and even pop culture intermingle in an impassioned search for understanding and for hope"
~Glen Sorestad, First Poet Laureate of Saskatchewan
"As a cultural geographer...I have witnessed the pivotal role the arts play in providing a holistic framework through which we can process our collective fears of the future...Elizabeth takes us to the cliff ’s edge of these fears, and using pathos, humour and her unique wit, provides us with a personal model for resilient action."
~Dr. Michael Fox, Cultural Geographer
"JAZZ: Nature's Improvisation", a coming-of-age story of a young transgendered East Indian male, won the 2014 Ken Klonksy Novella Prize and was published by Quattro books. It was shortlisted for the 2015 ReLit Award.
“Filled with facts, substance and artful description, Jazz opens up a heartbreaking world of a young transgender teen bravely coming out to his family, only to be kicked out of the house and into a dangerous world full of unknowns.” Katherine Hudson / Telegraph Journal
With my 2020 cross-country book tour cancelled due to the pandemic, I have focused my time over the last few years running a series of intergenerational virtual workshops around the themes of eco-despair and encouraging our reciprocity with the living world. These programs have been offered through Ships Company Theater (Parrsboro, N.S.); The Rose Theater (Brampton, ON); Peace One Day Guelph; and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. Visit this link to get a taste of the work, a virtual reading and interview hosted by Ian Keteku:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t_1MMoUdII
Great joy...facilitating creative process and tying it in to social justice/environmental issues. In 2016, I presented creative writing workshops at the Knowlton Literary Festival (Knowlton, QC) and at the San Miguel Writers Conference (San Miguel de Allende, Mexico). In 2017, I facilitated the Earth Warriors Theatre Project, working collaboratively with a group of middle school students to write and mount a play called "Don't sit this one out" (title based on a quote by Carl Sagan).
All presentations are interactive. Sample titles include: Writing for Change (Adult); Pangea's Dream Remembered (Intergenerational); Write On! (children and youth).
Themes explored include: Dealing with Eco-anxiety; Becoming an Earth Ally; Using writing practice as a way in to Regenerative Practices.
Please drop me a line to discuss how I can design a presentation to meet your organization's goals.
Please drop me a line to discuss how I can design a workshop to meet your organization's goals.
Having worked as an arts educator for over 30 years, my presentations are planned to meet the needs of the classroom teacher.