Colleen Avelli, author

Colleen Avelli was born and raised on Long Island, New York.  She became an avid reader and writer at an early age, filling journals and sketchpads with her stories, portraits and poems.  Most at home outdoors, Avelli spent most of her childhood out in the yard, at the county  park or at the lake.  She graduated from the State University of New York at Stony Brook with a B.A. in English.  Here at Stony Brook her professors sparked in her a passion for poetry and the Arts.  Pursuing a minor in Art History, Colleen was fascinated by the integral part literature played in art and took this passion into her teaching.  Avelli taught at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in Virginia for many years before pursuing a career as an author.  Today she and her family reside in Florida where Avelli continues to write, sketch and paint.  Still an outdoor girl, Colleen is often found on the seashore or treking through the forest.  Avelli continues to encourage and support literary growth and appreciation as a member of The Poetry Society of America,  The Romance Writers of America and the Women's National Book Association.