Twila Newey grew up in Provo, Utah. She earned a B.A. in English with a minor in Anthropology from Brigham Young University (1997) and an M.F.A. in Writing and Poetics from Naropa University (2003). She is the author of the novel Sylvia published by BCC Press (July, 2020). Twila was a finalist for the Coniston Prize at Radar Poetry (2019) and won honorable mention in Juxtaprose Poetry Contest (2019). Her poems can be found in various literary journals online and in print. She is a Poetry Editor for Psaltry & Lyre. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and four children. 

In between writing and reading poems and mothering, Twila is slowly learning about California Native Plants. She’s begun the process of rewilding her suburban yard to create a small ecological sanctuary for native flora and fauna. She is also working toward a certificate in Horticulture.