Born in Kansas City, Kansas and raised in Kansas City, Missouri and La Puente, California (Los Angeles), Elonda Clay is the author of Know That You Have Been Loved (Amazon 2018), her debut poetry collection. She is a poet, librarian, meditation teacher, scholar of religion, and PhD candidate at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands in Theology and Religious Studies. She received her undergraduate degree from Kansas State University (B.S., Physical Science) and has earned graduate degrees from the University of Missouri-Columbia (M.A., Library and Information Science), Gammon Theological Seminary, The Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia (M.Div.), Lutheran School of Theology-Chicago (M.Th. in Religion and Science).

Although this is her debut poetry collection, Elonda has published academic articles and book chapters in various journals and edited volumes. Elonda teaches workshops centered around the healing power of poetry and mindful meditation and self-care for professionals and college students across the United States.