“I write for the same reason I eat — because I’m hungry; because it’s delicious; because it nourishes and sustains me.”
Eliza Jane Cahill is a natural wordsmith. Her writing, heavily influenced by her former life as an alternative counselor/life coach, focuses on dissecting the depths of the human psyche. Especially intrigued by morality issues, free-will versus destiny, the subconscious, mental illness and desire, Eliza explores these themes in her dynamic, and often gripping, psychodramatic stories.
Born abroad to adventurous philosophers, she received a Montessori art-focused, educated, and traditional European upbringing. Even as a child, Eliza knew she wanted to write and felt drawn to the craft, despite being labeled dyslexic and “learning disabled.” As she puts it, “I spent most of my time drawing pictures and making up scenarios in which my imaginary characters could interact in complex, detailed and utterly fabricated worlds. My teachers, at the time, called it daydreaming, my parents called it lackadaisical. Today, in the writing world, we call it world-building and character-construction — a crucial exercise in laying the foundation for a story.”
Though mostly self-taught, Eliza had the good fortune of excellent mentors early on, including the folksinger/storyteller Utah Phillips, and poet Erick Nightingale. “As soon as I could read, I started writing,” she recalls. And not just any writing. At the age of eight, Eliza won a national children's poetry's award and was published in the Anthology. Since then, she has received several awards for her performance-poetry, earning her the title of Big-Island-Slam-Champion. To date, she has published two poetry books, a play, entitled Strange Whorl, and is currently hard at work on a historical fiction novel.
Professionally, Eliza does a variety of freelance writing and photography for clients. Dedicated to strengthening the Big Island's artistic community, she serves as President of Hawaii Writers Guild, co-facilitates a Writers Support Group, and masterminds projects —among them FRIDA, A Cultural Evolution Magazine, a free publication and platform showcasing undiluted art, literature, and enhancing perspective, compassion, and communication.
