Welcome
Bella Barbara Erakko has spent a lifetime following stories into unexpected places—from the forgotten history of the electric car, to the inner quiet of meditation, to the mysterious world her mother inhabited during a thirteen-year journey with Alzheimer's.
Her books and essays are connected by curiosity, reflection, and an enduring fascination with the many forms of silence.
BELLA BARBARA ERAKKO
Writer • Storyteller • Seeker of Silence
Bookshelf
Over the course of her writing life, Bella's books have appeared under the names Barbara Taylor, Barbara Taylor Erakko, Bella Barbara Erakko, and Bella Erakko. Here, they are gathered together in one place.
Meet Bella
Beyond the books is a life of curiosity, creativity, spirituality, and an enduring search for meaning.
The Thread
Sounds of Silence
Bella never set out to build a body of work around silence. In fact, she says she never really considered herself a writer: “When I have nothing to say… I don't write.”
Instead, she followed the stories and questions that compelled her—from solitude, prayer and meditation to the unlikely history of the electric car and, eventually, her mother's journey through Alzheimer's.
Only after the books had been written did Bella recognize what had been there all along: “a silent car, a silent meditation, a silent mind.”
Different stories. Different seasons of life. One quiet thread running through them all.
The Art
Prayers Made Visible
Bella's creativity has never lived only on the page. For years, she also worked with her hands, creating woven pieces, prayer shawls and jewelry. Prayer was often part of the making itself—woven quietly into the work, thread by thread and piece by piece.
If you are fortunate enough to have something Bella made, treasure it. You hold more than a handmade object; you hold a small piece of her creative and spiritual life.
The Film
Emerging From the Undertow of Alzheimer's
A 25-Minute Program of Hope
Created as a companion to Elsie at Ebb Tide, this film explores the question at the heart of Bella's journey with her mother: when Alzheimer's changes the brain and our familiar ways of communicating, what becomes of the soul?
Originally offered on DVD and shown on the Elsie at Ebb Tide website, the complete program can now be watched here.
The Archive
Preserving a Lifetime of Words
Bella's writing extends far beyond the books gathered here. Essays, reflections, photographs, recordings, unpublished works, and pieces from across the years are being collected and preserved as part of an ongoing archive.
In time, this growing collection will offer a place to explore more of Bella's words—and the stories behind them.