Thank you for your presence here.

Living alone and young as a high school French teacher in Ethiopia, I found a world that beautifully upended mine. I found God with skin and bones. And I found the one my soul loves.

After giving birth to my son, I left my teaching career to pursue the delights of motherhood and writing. Since then I’ve been listening for God’s voice in the rhythms of everyday life, keeping my eyes open for abundant graces—and seeking to capture what I find in words.

​My work appears in Plough, Ekstasis, The Windhover, Dappled Things’ blog, Rock & Sling, Eclectica (Spotlight Runner-up), Fathom, Fare Forward, Risen Motherhood, (in)courage, The Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis Monthly, and Ginosko Literary Journal, among others. One of my stories also appears in Yet We Still Have Hope: Stories of Courage from Women Serving Around the World published by Velvet Ashes.

My first book In Praise of Houseflies: Meditations on the Gifts in Everyday Quandaries (Calla Press) will be released August 19th.

I received a BA in Creative Writing and French from Indiana University and hold an MFA from Seattle Pacific University.

I’d be honored to connect with you via Instagram @elisetegegne or my e-letter (below).