Look and Listen

Biography

Diana M. Raab, M.F.A., essayist, memoirist and poet who teaches at The University of California, Santa Barbara Extension and at UCLA Writers Extension. She is a columnist for InkByte.com, an online magazine for writers. She frequently writes and lectures on journaling at the university level and to organizations in her community. Her new memoir, Regina's Closet: Finding My Grandmother's Secret Journal (Beaufort Books, Sept. 2007) was nominated for the Sophy Brodie Award. She has one poetry chapbook, My Muse Undresses Me (Pudding House, 2007) and one pending book of poetry, Dear Anais: My Life in Poems for You (Plain View Press). Her writing has appeared in numerous national publications, including Rosebud, The Louisville Review, Palo Alto Review, Oracle, The Binnacle, Homestead, Voices, and Red River Review. Her article, “Use Journaling to Spark Your Writing” was featured in the October 2007 issue of The Writer. She’s the recipient of the Benjamin Franklin Book award for best health and wellness book for her book, Getting Pregnant and Staying Pregnant: Overcoming Infertility and High Risk Pregnancy. It has been translated into French and Spanish. In 2008 the book will be released in its 20th anniversary edition. For more information, please visit her website: http://www.dianaraab.com.

Inspiration

I have been writing since the age of ten whem my mother gave me my first journal. Writing has always been my passion. For me, like the poet Pablo Neruda, writing is like breathing. In university I studied public health, journalism and nursing and began my writing career as a medical writer. I then began writing essays, memoirs and then poetry. I have three adult children and have been married for thirty years. Traveling and meeting people both informs and inspires my writing.