Sister Lou Ella Hickman publishes collection of poetry

Sister Lou Ella Hickman, a member of the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament, has a collection of poetry titled “she: robed and wordless” that was released Sept. 1.

In “she: robed and wordless,” Sister Lou Ella reflects biblical women who encountered grace and sins, joys and sorrows, life and death. Press 53 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, published the collection.

“It feels a little surreal, as I began writing the first poems for ‘she: robed and wordless’ in 1986,” Sister Lou Ella said. “So it has been a very long labor of love.”

In addition to being a widely published poet, Sister Lou Ella also worked at Incarnate Word Academy for several years. She worked in the IWA Elementary Level Library from 1986-2005 and worked at the elementary level from 1987-2007.

When asked what she loved the most about teaching at IWA, she said that she enjoyed the class discussions.

“Often a student would ask me a question that I had to think about after the class was over,” she said. “In fact, I began writing articles when I realized that if I could teach my students how to write, then I could do that as well.”

Sister Lou Ella is a native of Brownsville. She has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Texas A&I University, which is now Texas A&M University-Kingsville. She also has a master’s degree in theology with a specialization in Scripture from St. Mary’s University. In addition, she is a certified spiritual director and freelance writer.

Her poems and articles have been published in two anthologies, including “After Shocks: Poetry of Recovery for Life-Shattering Events,” edited by Tom Lombardo, “Down the Dark River,” edited by Philip Kolin as well as many other publications.

"she: robed and wordless" is available from Press 53.