Elnora Agnes Fortson
Bio
Elnora Agnes Fortson accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and Saviour, June 1975.
She is married to Walter Fortson, and is the mother of three daughters, Akilah,
Ayanna, and Anika. She is a member of Christian Teaching Ministry where Elder Ronald Burnett is pastor and founder. She ministers as secretary.
Poetry associations have included The Poet’s and Writer’s Club; Kuntu Writer’s Workshop; Praise Poets, founder/former director, and Crossing Limits, an intercultural group. Through several grants from the Penn Avenue Arts Initiative, she taught Poetry is Fun classes, editing two anthologies, Poetry Is Fun and Fourth of July Poems and directed a recording of students poems “Poetry Is Fun!
In the 1960’s she hosted a women’s news talk program at WYEP-FM; and was editor and reporter at TALK Magazine. Her poems have been published in several anthologies: Riding on A Good Wind; Poetry Is Fun; The Kuntu Magazine; Love From Black Women to Black Men; Voices From The Real World; The Clover Collection of Verse; Crossing Limits; Eternal Portraits; The Eye, under the auspices of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Other publications include The ROTO Magazine, Tele Communicator, The New Pittsburgh Courier, and an article in ESSENCE Magazine “Prenatal/Postnatal Dance”. Her husband, Walt, was the photographer for this locally written article
“Jesus Walks The Waters of My Soul”, a recording of her poems, was made possible through the blessing of the Lord and a Fellowship in Literature from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, 1980. The Greater Pittsburgh Christian Temple Ensemble under the direction of Elder Keith Moncrief accompanied her.
She was in August Wilson’s poetry class at the Halfway Art Gallery in the Hill District in the early 60’s. In 1992, by God’s grace, she won 1st Place in the adult poetry division of the August Wilson Writing Contest. From the World of Poetry, she received two Golden Poet Awards, 1990 and 1991; and listed in Who’s Who Among Black American’s (Digital January 19, 2005) and Who’s Who In The American Bicentennial, online listings include: The Minority Networking Exchange, Inc.; Stardust/JPL/NASA, and April, 2008 verve the ministry –The Verve Experience.
In 2005, her poem “Singing Prayers” was published in the anthology Twilight Musings; was recorded on a CD poetry collection: The Sound of Poetry; and won the Editor’s Choice Award for Outstanding Achievement in Poetry presented by poetry.com and the International Library of Poetry.
Her poem “Noon Child” and many of her jokes are included in her husband, Walter Fortson’s book Resume Writing Without Paid Work Experience, and one of her poems is in Walt’s book Amazing Animal Facts,
Elnora is the author of Women of the Bible, and her newly released Praise Poems for Sunday Mornings of Rejoicing. Forthcoming books include Cinnamon Rose; Praise Poems, and The Fortson Family Joke Book.
She wrote, produced, and directed a play, “Pittsburgh Sought Out…A City Not Forsaken” as well as wrote a Christmas play, “The Perfect Gift”. Acting credits include: “And Virginia Was The First Day” which aired on P.B.S., “Rock This World” at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theatre; “The Death of A Baller”, produced and directed by Dr. Charles Upshur; narrator in “Characters of The Bible” and “Kids Under Construction”. She played an extra in movie “The Temptations” which was shot in Pittsburgh.
Elnora is founder and past director of the PRAISE Poets and directs a personalized singing telegram business “Here’s to Your Heart”. She has shared her inspired God inspired songs and poems at churches, coffee houses, nursing homes, the Carnegie Music Hall, radio, television, and wherever the Lord opens a door. To God be all the glory!