Look and Listen

Biography

Writing: As a Wayne State University merit scholar in the early '80s, Debra Kraft studied under Detroit poet ML Liebler, who inspired her creative ambitions in a variety of literary endeavors. In addition to poetry, Debra Kraft has been writing speculative fiction and building the worlds necessary to accommodate that genre for nearly three decades. This experience, together with her background in teaching, led her to develop a "World Building for Writers" workshop and workbook. She is currently developing a textbook covering this topic, to enable independent, self study. Debra Kraft’s key influences in the fantasy genre include Terry Brooks and Stephen R. Donaldson. On the subject of World Building, she credits Lee Carroll, a long-time role-play gamer with degrees from Harvard, Cambridge and Tufts, as a mentor. Teaching: Debra Kraft has experience teaching at the secondary school level and in a corporate environment. In her long-time career with the automotive industry, her responsibilities have included developing and performing training sessions associated with quality management, corporate standards and compliance systems on a global scale. Memberships: Academy of American Poets; Science Fiction Poetry Association; Poetry Society of Michigan; Romance Writers of America; Critters Workshop (not currently active); Broad Universe; SFF.net

Inspiration

Every day brings a new experience, however small, sometimes seemingly insignificant. And every new experience plants a seed of inspiration.