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| Born in Chicago, Rochelle earned degrees from the U of Illinois (Chicago Circle); the Writers Workshop of U of Iowa in Iowa City; and her Ph.D. in English/Psychology from Columbia Pacfic University in southern California. Since l970 she's been an educator and received several writer-in-residence grants to work on all levels with multi-ethnic populations in numerous states, including Alabama and Mississippi; Iowa; St. Croix (USVI); New Jersey and Florida. First ranked among the top 3% of America's major poets in a Judson Jerome nationwide survey for Writer's Digest , Rochelle has fast-gained popularity as a novelist-of-the-future. The term was invented by her mentor/friend known for The Diaries of Anais Nin .(Rochelle's Anais Nin: An Understanding of Her Art '91 is available for a second edition.) One of her childhood dreams included sharing her work with audiences all across America. Since l967, she's given over 650 readings in 33 states in art centers, bookstores, colleges, at conferences and workshops, in hospitals, libraries, schools and universities. To that end from 1970-1978 she co-owned and operated Ragnarok Press in Iowa City and Sioux City, Iowa; Holly Springs, Mississippi; and Birmingham, Alabama with her partner D. H. Stefanson. From 1978-1988, she was a major consultant to Merging Media owned by D. C. Erdmann. From 1990-2000 she operated Rose Shell Press. Anais Nin called her "the Queen of Creativity" in a personal letter, because Rochelle has been a dancer, painter and sculptor of stone for successive decades, a constant inspiration to her writing. She's been a lifetime member of IWWG (International Women's Writers Guild). The author's work has appeared in countless anthologies, journals and magazines, including The Louisiana Review; Meridians (collaborative venture of Smith College and Wesleyan University); and Natural Bridge (U of Missouri-St. Louis). She has reviewed books for Curbstone for the last decade. Also see Holt in Beyond Katrina by Patricia Elly Powell at Louisiana Arts. Since 1994 she has called, Ft. Myers, Florida her home. She's open always to invitations to lecture, read, sign her books published annually since 1970 in all genres. She continues to be available for one-on-one instruction in the mail or on the web. (Also see PoetryCircle.com for poetry profile!) |
