Author Bio

Larisa A. White (née Larisa Naples) writes to celebrate nature, to advocate ecological stewardship, and to explore the ways in which people relate - or fail to relate - across nations and cultures, landscapes and species. She has won international awards for her poetry and screenwriting, and enjoys writing rich stories with compelling characters, grounded in the living world. Larisa’s past projects have ranged from award-winning screenplays for animated films (Bee Mine / Logline: Bee meets girl.) to acclaimed academic studies (World Druidry / exploring how modern Druids relate to their local landscapes). At present, she is developing the modern eco-myth trilogy, Tales of the Primordial Mountain.

Larisa was raised as a global nomad, relocating every two years as her father designed airports. Rather than becoming rooted in one place, she spent her childhood bridging gaps between cultures. She learned local languages, attended local schools, participated in local religious celebrations, and adapted to local customs, seasonal cycles, and landscapes. In doing so, she discovered the joy of living the questions, exploring diverse perspectives, and always thinking a little bit differently.

After completing her doctorate at Carnegie Mellon University in 1996, Larisa worked as an independent scholar, teaching and conducting mixed-methods sociological research on the ways that people learn, grow, and change under the influence of changing educational and cultural contexts. Over time, her research focus shifted to the ways in which people interpret and interact with Nature. Currently, she teaches and writes in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she spends her free time with her husband and son, building wildlife habitats, and restoring native ecosystems on lands once lovingly tended by the Ramaytush Ohlone.