Dr. Larina Warnock

Larina grew up in generational poverty. A one-time teen mother and high school dropout, she earned a doctorate in Interdisciplinary Education Leadership from Creighton University in 2018. For her day job, she serves the education system in Southern Oregon, helping to mold existing systems and create new ones that better serve underrepresented populations. Her motto in this work is Education is not the means to an end; it is the means to a beginning.

Outside of her day job, she is a writer. Her fiction, usually (though not always) speculative in nature, has appeared in Hidden Villains: Duos, MetaStellar, The Dread Machine, Stories We Tell After Midnight Vol 2, and others. Her poetry, usually (though not always) literary in nature, has appeared in Strange Horizons, The McNeese Review, Autumn Sky Poetry Daily, Rattle, and others. Occasionally, she dives into her past and attempts to make some sense of poverty and trauma through nonfiction and speaking engagements. Her essay, “Where We Store Shame,” was published in Oregon Humanities. Her newsletter, Larina’s Lit Lounge, talks about neurodivergence, disability, and creativity while also publishing some responses to her biweekly writing prompts.

Recently, Larina has begun working in lapidary arts. She views this as another way to uncover the unseen beauty of life and the natural world.

Larina lives with her husband, three dogs, a bearded dragon, and a turtle older than she is.

Photo of Larina Warnock
photo by Bob Loewen