Laura Pendell began writing poetry in college and participated in the Poetry Project at St. Mark’s Place in New York City from 1967-1970. After some time pursuing other interests and careers,she was in a serious skiing accident in 1990 that inspired her to change her life. She became a Zen student and returned to writing, attending poetry workshops for the next six years in New York City. In 1998, Laura moved to California and was accepted into the MFA Program at Mills College, studying poetry and book arts, and earning her MFA in 2001. Currently she lives in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains with her husband, where they raise Ponderosa Pine, oak, and manzanita trees, and she continues to write and make her own journals and artist’s books.
Laura’s artist’s book, Hibernation—based on her poem of the same name—has been featured in three juried book art shows. Her poetry is forthcoming or has appeared in the 2004 and 2006 editions of the Nevada County Poetry Series Anthology, Assisi, Blue Lake Review, Cocktails & Confessions (Six Ft Swells Press, 2007), Foliate Oak, Jelly Bucket, Limestone, Soundings East, Talking River, The Tulane Review, and Wild Violet.