Elga Antonsen

Biography

Daughter of the only open Communists in Staten Island during the McCarthy era, Erdine, a school teacher and literacy advocate and Zeke, a carpenter, mad scientist and philosopher, Elga Antonsen started out life with the unique perspectives and challenges grown from that time. Originally planning to become a veterinarian or a scientist, Antonsen instead managed to raise three children, while working on her writing. Her published work includes Daring to Dream, New Era Publishers, New York, 1977.

Residing in Kingston, New York, she is co-owner of Brillig's Books, an antiquarian online bookstore with her husband, Bill, and has served in AVP, the Alternatives to Violence program. With several works of fiction on the burner, she and her sister are presently collaborating on a novel about their childhood as the daughters of Communists. She is also working on a novel based on her experience as a mother to abused children and the former wife of their abuser. When she's not writing, Elga spends her time drumming, gardening, and advocating for environmental as well as womens' and childrens' issues. She also helps edit for the huge horde of Cathers-related authors in her family.

Books

Road Dance: Poems
You set the price! Words: 5,670. Language: English. Published: May 4, 2013 . Categories: Poetry » Female authors, Poetry » Contemporary Poetry
(5.00 from 1 review)
Stories of sacrifice and honor, strength and passion, healing and laughter. Collected from journals and memories that began in McCarthy-era NYC, they follow a crazy carnival journey of raising children, the search for love, self-understanding, and the desire to leave a better planet behind. The tales are evocative and sometimes startling, balancing a high wire between fear and redemption.

Smashwords book reviews by Elga Antonsen

  • Dying to Get Published on May 30, 2013

    This book is a hoot! Yes, the main character is zany.I found myself reading fast to see what would happen to this madcap adventurer. Anyone who has entertained fantasies of revenge will enjoy this rollicking ride.I loved this line: "The smell of whiskey wrapped around her head like a scarf." Also,I enjoyed: "...evening dark was beginning to clothe the area in its shroud." Beautiful lines, fun story.
  • Dark Moon Gates: Witches' Gates Saga Book 1 on June 01, 2013

    A great read with indelible characters, well drawn! Even though the main protagonist is a seventeen year old girl, this is a book for any age. I lived with the characters, feeling their angst, as they faced the dangers of the magical and natural realms.It gave a real sense of what it might be like inside a coven and the ways ritual magic can strengthen will and help find ways of salvation. Can't wait for the next adventures of Willa to come!
  • Nenfari: an Assassin's Flower novella on July 26, 2013

    Reading Lionrhod's story is like plunging into the many textured depths of intrigue. I am drawn in by the elegance of detail, noting sunsets "aglow with citrine and amethyst," and honoring winds with tinkling bells. The age-old struggle between mother and daughter is shown by such lines as: "She waved a manicured hand sending the scent of ripened fruits and musk," contrasted with her daughter's feeling of awkwardness in the grime of battle practice. The intricate imagery shows a world rich with ritual in a harsh environment with gut wrenching trysts with death. I was enthralled from beginning to end, wanting more.