About

About the Crone – The Rev.Rita B. Nelson

Rita published her first book, Always Kristen, in 2017, a memoir about her life with her transgendered MTF daughter, which is available at Amazon and on Kindle. Her book won 2nd prize in the Delaware Press Association (DPA) writing contest in 2018. Rita also has essays in two anthologies, Rehoboth Reimagined and She Writes: Visions and Voices, in which her essay Funeral for a Pronoun also won a DPA second prize. She also has essays in two other anthologies, Scenes,  and Seaside Scribes: Women Writing, Women Rising in which her essay Risen from the Dust received an honorable mention from the DPA. Rev. Nelson’s writing career actually began by writing technical manuals and journals for the General Electric Company in the 1980s as an internal consultant in their manufacturing management consulting department. After retiring from GE, she and her husband moved to Florida and motored their 43-foot Trawler, Empyrean, 1600 miles from Connecticut down the Intracoastal Waterway to Sarasota, Florida. An article she wrote on a portion of that voyage was published in Offshore magazine (July 1992).  While living in Siesta Key, Florida (1991-1996), she wrote a twice-monthly column, “Common Elements,” on condominium living for the local paper, The Pelican Press.  In 1996, Nelson attended Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, VA, and had an article titled Church Pews and Parking Places published in the seminary newspaper as well as a poem, Jesus Wept.  She also had a reflection on the school’s quiet day published in the Seminary Catalog.   Until recently, after her ordination as an Episcopal Priest, Rev. Nelson’s writings consisted entirely of her sermons and, occasionally, this blog, Words from the Crone.  She is also a favorite reader at the Rehoboth Beach Writer’s Guild’s monthly Songs & Stories and has just published her novel Breaking Free.

She has been active in her community as past treasurer of the Episcopal LGBT advocacy organization Integrity Delaware,  a former Board of Director member of the Laurel Boy’s and Girl’s Club, and former board member and treasurer of Primeros Paso Early Learning Center in Georgetown. Appointed by Gov. Jack Markel, Rita served three years on the Delaware Child Placement Review Board, which reviews every foster child in the state once a year. She attends St. Peter’s church in Lewes and is active in several groups.

The Rev. Nelson holds a BS in Chemistry from Sacred Heart University (1975), an MBA from the University of Connecticut (1981), and a Masters in Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary (1999). Fully retired from active parish ministry, she now concentrates on her writing and her hobbies, genealogy, and playing Bridge. Rita lives with her daughter, Kristen, and her four-pound Maltese, Loki, who rules the roost.

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