Rhonda Morton

"Rhonda Morton, more than any other artist I have ever met, is an artist of her WHOLE being. I am convinced that even if her mind were willing, her body wouldn't allow her to be anything else. Cover her mouth, bind her hands, her legs, her arms—and her autonomous nervous system would find means of expression! Her heart would start beating in new rhythms... her skin would flush in Matissean hues... words would tumble through her pores... and her blonde hair would rise like arms to dance!"

-Maria McMahon
Lockwood, NY

Committed to poetry's oral tradition, Rhonda Morton is a poet of the stage as well as the page. Since her first performance on the Centerway Bridge in Corning, NY, in 1992, she has been the featured reader at scores of venues throughout the Northeast. Rhonda prefers intimate settings, where she can integrate her audience and the site into performances. She often layers words with sounds, song, movement, theatrical characterizations and improvisation to add depth and richness to her one-woman shows.

Rhonda in Corning, NY

Rhonda is the author of two chapbooks of poetry: Woman Seeking Water (Foothills Publishing, 1997) and Breathing In, Breathing Out (Foothills Publishing, 2001). And in 2009, She Opens the Suitcase, a chapbook of short-short stories was also published by Foothills Publishing.

In 2008, one of her poems ("Moving Possibilities") inspired a multi-arts project and group exhibition that toured among five settings, including three libraries in the Southern Tier of New York, and to the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Most recently, one of her poems was chosen for Poetry Posts, a series of poems posted in parks in Elmira, NY. Her work also has been published in numerous books and journals, and was selected by The ARTS of the Southern Finger Lakes for their "Poets…just down the road" project in 2001.

Emphasizing the creation of new work, Rhonda is a skilled facilitator of writing workshops for teens, and has created many classroom-based programs for students in pre-K through 12th grade, including "Poetry and Its Delivery," "Haiku and You," "Storytelling Basics," and other custom-designed programs. She is also available to talk about a career as a writer.

Self-employed as a writer and editor since 1986, Rhonda has excellent writing and editing skills to put to use on other writers' manuscripts. Specializing in non-fiction books and memoirs, she offers content editing, copyediting, proofreading, fact checking, and consistent formatting of manuscripts.

In 1997, she founded GirlSmarts®, a series of workshops and retreats that use the arts to help teenage girls understand who they are and what they want out of their lives. And in 2006, Rhonda formed Alligator Mouth Improv, a four-person ensemble that draws on theatre, movement, vocals, music and storytelling, all created in the moment, often from audience input and interaction. They perform in traditional theatres, but are just as likely to be found in business settings, community-building events, or non-arts venues like post offices, grocery stores, and the sidewalk during a busy lunch hour.

Rhonda graduated summa cum laude from Muskingum College in 1980 where she earned a double major in English and philosophy. She has studied extensively in the fields of poetry, performing arts, and improvisation for the past 15 years, and is certified as a leader of InterPlay, an improvisation-based approach to personal and organizational effectiveness practiced around the world. Teachers, mentors and major creative influencers include Michael Czarnecki, Martin Keogh, Bonnie McCubbin, Phil Porter, Rhiannon, Owen Walker, Sarah Williams, and Cynthia Winton-Henry.