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 my passion: 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 published in 2025.

I received a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Indiana and hold an MFA from Seattle Pacific University. I am currently working on a book of meditations on the gifts of pain. 

Reach out on Instagram at @elisetegegne or stay in touch with my e-letter (below).