JUDITH CHIBANTE NEAL

Judith Chibante resides in Fresno, California. She is a later-in-life poet, having returned to her creative writing roots after a four-decade career in education. Continuing inspiration for her writing comes from having been raised on a farm; life in an agricultural region; the small miracles of daily living; and, multiple episodes of navigating the medical world both as a patient and as a patient advocate for loved ones.  She is privileged to have had special learning opportunities with poets Marie Howe, Joseph Millar, Dorianne Laux, and Robert Sward; however, primary influence is the work and teaching of Ellen Bass, her teacher over the past several years. She has taught poetry for seventh-graders and high schoolers, and has edited a volume of poetry for teachers.