Laura Grace Weldon

Laura Grace Weldon's happy childhood was marred by the presence of alligators under her bed. No one ever proved they weren't real.

She found peace in a small forest behind her home, where she hoped small woodland creatures might grow to trust her and eat the offerings of food she brought each day. They didn't.

She also sought refuge in books, happily bringing home dozens each week from that heavenly realm called The Library. When told, "get your nose out of that book and go outside" she rode her trusty pink bike for hours. Quite regularly she discovered the thrill of getting lost. Back then small girls found their own way home from construction sites, major highways and Lake Erie. The only consequence? A sense of adventure.

Laura was named Ohio's 2019 Poet of the Year. She works as a book editor, leads writing workshops, serves as Braided Way editor, and gleefully checks out too many library books each week. Her background includes teaching nonviolence, writing poetry with nursing home residents, facilitating support groups for abuse survivors, and writing sardonic greeting cards. Laura lives in a rural township too tiny for traffic lights where she hosts occasional art parties and house concerts.

By the way, she's learned that the alligators haunting us are exactly where any of us put them.