Elisa Fortise Christensen is an author, poet, playwright, and motivational speaker whose work explores resilience, joy, and the extraordinary strength of the human spirit. Drawing from a life shaped by profound loss, unexpected reinvention, and hard-won hope.

 

Elisa speaks and writes with vulnerability, humor, and an unwavering belief that our most difficult chapters do not have to define the rest of our story. Her message is simple but powerful: we don't have to wait for life to become easy to find meaning, purpose, and even joy. Sometimes, we choose joy anyway.

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Books

 

The Fentanyl Warrior: How I Got Off and Stayed Off Opiates (2018)

The Finest Thread: A Poetic Love Story (2019)

The Teen Warrior: Raising Addiction-Resistant Kids (2020)

Raising Boys to Be Honorable Men (2021)

The Far Away (2022)

All of This: Poetry For Real (2023)

My First Gay Divorce (2025)

The Deep Abyss (2025)

The Great Forest Divide (2026)

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Stage Plays

The Divine Feminine (2026)

The Lost Girls (2027)

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Speaking Engagements

Joy Anyway: How to Thrive When Life Doesn't Go According to Plan (~20 minutes)

From Pain to Power: Rewriting Your Story After Trauma (~30 minutes)

Raising Strong Children in a Fragile World (~40 minutes)

The Deep Abyss: What Conscious Dying Teaches Us About Living  (Keynote Speech ~45 minutes)

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​Personal Quote

"You just never know what fantastical moment is awaiting you around the next corner."

 

Education

Ms. Christensen attended UC Santa Cruz and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Winona State University in Minnesota in 1995 with a degree in mass communications.

 

Recognition

Her writing has been published in Page and Spine Magazine.

She is represented by AAE Speakers, a New York talent agency.

She has been a featured speaker at Michigan State University and a contributor to the Deep in the Forest, Beyond the Clouds

Anthology series.

 

Her two collections of poetry, The Finest Thread and All of This are featured by Barnes & Noble, and her other books can be found in several different countries around the world.

 

Social media links

Instagram: @authorelisa

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisafortisechristensenauthor

TikTok: TikTok.com/authorelisa

 

Contact Info:    www.authorelisa.com    info@authorelisa.com     805.223.3314