photo credit: Bader Howar Photography

Elya Braden was born a poet, singer/actor and artist, but took an 18-year hiatus from her creative life so she could play “Let’s Make A Deal” as a business lawyer and entrepreneur. After serving as General Counsel of a public Internet company in the late ‘90’s, she retired from law at the end of 2000.

 Elya went on to create a networking group for experienced women lawyers, to launch a new business, to serve on corporate and non-profit boards and to work on a congressional campaign. Elya also returned to her passion for singing in jazz clubs, cabarets and musicals, as well as acting in plays, independent films and commercials.

Elya is now a poet and mixed-media artist living in Los Angeles. She is Assistant Editor of the poetry magazine, Gyroscope Review. She has been a featured reader at Poetry Fixx, the Rapp Saloon and Tasty Words and reads at venues throughout LA. Her work has appeared in Rattle, Calyx, Main Street Rag, Ekphrastic Review, Willow Review and other publications. Her chapbook, Open The Fist​, is forthcoming from Finishing Line Press.

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