Elma Shaw
Family
Elma Shaw was born on a beautiful December 10 Sunday in Monrovia, Liberia. Her parents, Emanuel L. Shaw II and Anna Isabella Duncan, were both college students at the time, so she became the “handbag” of her paternal grandmother, Eugenia Cooper Shaw. Elma was the beloved first of many grandchildren.
Early Years
It was during her formative years at The Hilton van Ee School that Elma fell in love with learning, and with books. At the age of 6, and now with a second mom – Marcia Greaves – and two brothers, her parents moved the family to Birmingham, England, where she attended All Saints Primary School and enjoyed participating in school plays. The family returned to Liberia five years later, now with two boys and two girls.
Back in Liberia, Elma attended the J.J. Roberts United Methodist School where she read almost every middle-grade and young adult book in the library, continued acting in school plays, and made lifelong friends. Another sister was born during this time, making Elma the eldest of five siblings in that household. Elma began journaling and writing stories during this period of her life, and won the English Award upon graduation from Grade 9 (JSS3). After a semester at the College of West Africa (CWA), Elma went on to complete her college preparatory education in the USA at Cushing Academy.
Elma’s grandmother and parents at her graduation from Cushing Academy.
Writing Influence and Focus
Presenting her novel to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Elma’s experience of life and the 1980 coup in Liberia set her on a path to explore and write about peace and justice issues. She holds a BA in Communication Media and a Master of Arts in Film and Video from American University in Washington DC, where she also studied International Development. Her thesis film, The Love of Liberty, examined the then-ongoing civil war in Liberia.
In 2000, Elma established the Liberia Hope Fund to support at-risk girls and former child soldiers affected by the war in Liberia. She later worked for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP-Liberia) as Communications Officer for the Small Arms Control Programme, and for the first time traveled extensively throughout her beautiful country. Her blog, Liberia Stories, was popular at home and in the diaspora.
In 2008, Elma’s novel, Redemption Road, with a foreword by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, was a catalyst for healing dialogue after the 14-year Liberian Civil War. It was also the inspiration for an award-winning documentary, The Road to Redemption, featuring female fighters who survived the battlefields.
Present Day
Elma is the Founder & CEO of Cotton Tree Press, a company established to develop and publish the literary and nonfiction works of writers, leaders, entrepreneurs, and other changemakers in Africa and the diaspora. As part of her work with Cotton Tree Press, Elma offers a coaching program to help women write and publish a book in one year. She also offers online creative writing workshops for young writers.
Shortly after writing Redemption Road, Elma enrolled in a teacher training program with The New Teacher Project. She was a DC Teaching Fellow at Ludlow-Taylor Elementary School, and then served as a teacher and Vice Principal for English Language Arts Instruction at Green Hills Academy, an IB World School in Rwanda. Elma continues to enjoy helping young people develop their reading, critical thinking, speaking, and writing skills.
Elma currently divides her time between Liberia, Rwanda, and the United States, and loves to travel around the world. A global citizen, home is wherever she happens to be, and wherever her voice can make a difference. She is the proud mother of two sons, and believes in infinite possibilities for them and for all the children of the world.
At the 2019 African Book Festival in Berlin
Other Writing
Elma has written for Sea Breeze Journal of Contemporary Liberian Writings, Liberia Travel & Life Magazine, Pambazuka News, UNMIL Focus, UNICEF Rwanda, and other publications. She is also a contributing author in the bestselling book, The Author Code: Habits of Writing.
A long-time champion for women and girls, Elma is devoted to helping them tell their stories, and change the stories they tell. In support of maternal and child health, she was the lead writer for Big Belly Business – a Liberian woman’s illustrated guide to a healthy pregnancy.
Awards and Recognition
2015 Nominee for The African Sheroes Award for Outstanding Writer/Novelist – (AAW Peace and The Association for the Advancement of Liberian Girls)
2010 Winner of the “Best Author” Award for Redemption Road – (LEA)
2009 Honorable Mention (Writer’s Digest International Self-Publishing Awards)
1998 “Best of Show” Award for The Love of Liberty: A Documentary of The Liberian Civil War (American Visions Media Festival)