https://ellenurbani.com/back-to-top daily 1.0 2025-04-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1624151174270-QR4T7GEULX3TVUU11EJS/Landfall-Cover-FINAL-web-sized.png Welcome - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1624212666126-7D105GEN5ADE8NGV473E/When-I-Was-Elena-Large.jpg Welcome - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/67e5bc00-9e5c-494f-b71f-2070b9c6fafc/EU_Selects_0014.jpg Welcome Ellen Urbani is the author of Landfall, a novel set in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and the memoir When I Was Elena which documents her life in Guatemala where she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer during the final years of that country’s civil war. Her personal essays have been published in The New York Times, TIME magazine, and numerous anthologies. She has a bachelor’s degree from The University of Alabama, a master’s degree from Marylhurst University, and trained in the oncology program at OHSU. Before leaving the medical field to write books, Ellen’s work spanned the fields of oncology counseling and federal disaster/trauma response; her work is profiled in the short documentary film Paint Me a Future, which qualified for Academy Award consideration. Having spent her formative years in Virginia and Alabama, Ellen’s a Southerner at heart, though she currently lives on a working farm in Oregon with her husband, two children, and a passel of barnyard pets. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d00f106b8f5b01c8e73f52/1491858366054-VN3632LUL8YNY0SH4RCQ/color-3.png Welcome https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1624213347541-KLPPLE3KD9T6SHULHHI4/background-banner.png Welcome https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d00f106b8f5b01c8e73f52/1491858427382-L46N6OML0EQRY4L20YNX/color-3.png Welcome https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1624228058714-8ZQD6K5TWHBWCIHA6OZV/background-banner.png Welcome https://ellenurbani.com/follow-me daily 0.75 2023-04-21 https://ellenurbani.com/travels daily 0.75 2025-05-10 https://ellenurbani.com/travels/the-ghost-of-christmas-past monthly 0.5 2025-09-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1746851707737-VCG2IWHKJE4H6DHK57AD/IMG_7036.jpeg Travels - The Ghost of Christmas Past https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1746851748614-5WNKEQF0PBLJGE03T8AO/IMG_2984.jpeg Travels - The Ghost of Christmas Past https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1747012877623-UN0M9IUB65WG8TGQOIMA/IMG_1429.jpeg Travels - The Ghost of Christmas Past https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1747012892986-KDAV9BMQATD3AKQ1PM1P/IMG_2953.jpeg Travels - The Ghost of Christmas Past https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1747012918127-FYVFXD11CKRIOFW8ND8S/IMG_3335.JPG Travels - The Ghost of Christmas Past https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1747012944695-KF8L4R64LR96LZWU1VM0/IMG_7267.JPG Travels - The Ghost of Christmas Past https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1747012951658-LEV5ALS2187ZLL3DS0UU/IMG_7149.jpeg Travels - The Ghost of Christmas Past https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1747012958106-SSX0407GFMAZEE5BRV8E/IMG_3940.jpeg Travels - The Ghost of Christmas Past https://ellenurbani.com/travels/autumn-2023-european-itinerary monthly 0.5 2024-03-04 https://ellenurbani.com/travels/in-answer-to-the-64000-question-will-you-be-safe monthly 0.5 2024-08-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/c77f7fd6-3490-4f1a-bf0e-2ea515640baf/IMG_0892.jpeg Travels - My Answer to the $64,000 Question: "Are You Safe?" - Make it stand out Artwork on the trees at the Piñeiral do Muíño Arboretum in Spain. https://ellenurbani.com/travels/two-roads-diverging-in-a-wood monthly 0.5 2023-11-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/0f95124c-85fc-4ce7-8cac-4f67ce3dcf3d/IMG_0665.jpeg Travels - Two Roads Diverging in a Wood - Make it stand out The sunset over the Atlantic, as seen from the stormy shore in Labruge, Portugal, on September 21, 2023. https://ellenurbani.com/travels/october-11-2023-the-end-of-the-camino monthly 0.5 2024-02-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/6a97ea19-cb90-47e8-9adb-9bf15cac9f56/IMG_1418.jpeg Travels - The End of the Camino - Make it stand out On the square outside the Santiago de Compostela Archcathedral Basilica, holding my Compostela, the official certificate verifying distance walked and date of completion. https://ellenurbani.com/travels/september-30-2023-losing-oneself monthly 0.5 2024-02-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/77823b71-a333-433a-9e7a-5e3b5a290472/IMG_0874.jpeg Travels - Losing Oneself - Make it stand out There really were quite a lot of goats to pet. Anyone would have been distracted by all that cuteness. https://ellenurbani.com/travels/september-29-2023-following-signs monthly 0.5 2024-02-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1696602539120-IAYPWW61A6RXJRMYNNLJ/IMG_0570.jpeg Travels - Following Signs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1696602557372-H2XDY2FYH4Y6INZWJRLR/IMG_0794.jpeg Travels - Following Signs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1696602585222-R2UPW2FJDJG4T8DC44YD/IMG_0798.jpeg Travels - Following Signs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1696602612927-FVDNFPNS5OVXJKRAM5P8/IMG_0783.jpeg Travels - Following Signs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1696602638504-H351U1S1TZ9YBFV0R2T5/IMG_0795.jpeg Travels - Following Signs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1696602699866-ZF23QC8WKT8BCGJRRFOB/IMG_0979.jpeg Travels - Following Signs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1696602920890-QI0KIQ75VTRCOV6EU8UX/FullSizeRender.jpg Travels - Following Signs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1696602744846-OAFWGDSI3D63YWJA3QCF/IMG_0793.jpeg Travels - Following Signs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1696602791020-GDIXDVXLR6VA8RR1HWY3/IMG_0770.jpeg Travels - Following Signs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1696602805526-N7SELJ92N315FQK0FQFW/IMG_1132.jpeg Travels - Following Signs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1696604520746-SBF9V62249OA616XOZ6M/IMG_0756.jpeg Travels - Following Signs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1696609624436-0SJV2J6NMJNJHV1OAYX4/IMG_1155.jpg Travels - Following Signs https://ellenurbani.com/travels/september-25-a-story-to-carry-us-home monthly 0.5 2024-02-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1696578727193-LD884GBAYRVIX26C02VY/IMG_1134.jpeg Travels - A Story to Carry Us Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1696578747680-BPJLNH48T56RUPV0R7WZ/IMG_0988.jpeg Travels - A Story to Carry Us Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1696578764378-PZ71LMFQAR2GFOEODKTP/IMG_0938.jpeg Travels - A Story to Carry Us Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1696578787358-181ZZ5GJBHGZ7B0ZMEOL/IMG_0763.jpeg Travels - A Story to Carry Us Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1696578801692-KZ9P496YEL1JSU90KUBZ/IMG_0939.jpeg Travels - A Story to Carry Us Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1696578818120-5SSZK9FOTAOOXVP8RN4I/IMG_0753.jpeg Travels - A Story to Carry Us Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1696578846219-5LPQBS760ZXMO8BADPZX/IMG_0985.jpeg Travels - A Story to Carry Us Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1696581850857-AEAETUIDZ9ROP84UU0W6/IMG_8002.jpeg Travels - A Story to Carry Us Home https://ellenurbani.com/travels/september-21-2023-part-ii-a-long-walks-end-of-day-report monthly 0.5 2024-02-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/80360675-49a5-416b-9a83-ddf441f143ca/IMG_0653.jpeg Travels - A Long Walk's End-of-Day Report - Make it stand out On the road to Labruge. https://ellenurbani.com/travels/september-21-2023-a-long-walk-in-a-new-direction monthly 0.5 2024-02-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/a017b8e9-e77d-4912-8294-3e8d85c391a7/IMG_4483.jpeg Travels - A Long Walk in a New Direction - Make it stand out The tattoo I got shortly before departing the States. The symbol is a stylized Celtic Ailm, the first letter of the original Celtic alphabet, symbolizing strength, resilience, and endurance. The words, Noli Timere, are Latin for be not afraid. It is the most oft-repeated phrase in my mother’s favorite book, the Bible, and the handwriting is my daughter’s. In this way, I carry my family with me as I venture forth. https://ellenurbani.com/travels/september-16-2023-why-i-travel monthly 0.5 2024-02-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/35b3a444-003c-4a25-a197-a404e4139930/IMG_0467.jpeg Travels - Why I Travel - Make it stand out The Virgin’s carriage pulling away from the Picão chapel. https://ellenurbani.com/travels/september-4-18-2023-where-the-wild-things-are-1 monthly 0.5 2025-04-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/9b440080-79d6-43ee-bb54-3f1ec67604d1/IMG_0346.jpeg Travels - Where the Wild Things Are - Make it stand out A resident Iberian wolf. Photo courtesy of the sanctuary. https://ellenurbani.com/travels/september-3-2023-lchaim monthly 0.5 2024-02-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/406e5bcd-f0ab-4375-ab29-05c7a3d61042/0d0aca2c-0513-44c1-93b7-6df0724145ee.jpg Travels - L'Chaim! - Make it stand out Photo of me and my ribbon courtesy of the young Russian girl who emigrated from her homeland a mere six months ago and already speaks Portuguese and English better than half the native speakers I know. Some people manage so much, so gracefully, with so little. They are my North stars. https://ellenurbani.com/travels/september-2-2023-the-mouth-of-hell monthly 0.5 2024-04-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/6f163511-5f79-4412-aba6-00118a34c487/pt_cascais_boca_do_inferno-170513193854.jpg Travels - The Mouth of Hell - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://ellenurbani.com/travels/september-1-2023-a-soft-landing monthly 0.5 2024-02-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1694720884692-BSYK6CWVAOLC4MTV6HO1/IMG_0111.jpeg Travels - A Soft Landing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1694784369918-NMHU1U3BZEBYL1GIB2CL/IMG_0193.jpeg Travels - A Soft Landing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1694720939685-SJW6L33E5OZUDDJT9EVT/IMG_0074.jpeg Travels - A Soft Landing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1694721090178-56J2IIHQ2ESC8W7HZSPX/IMG_0085.jpeg Travels - A Soft Landing https://ellenurbani.com/travels/on-leaving-home monthly 0.5 2025-05-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/45bc8dc5-5602-4fea-b873-12333277e4c2/IMG_0062.jpeg Travels - On Leaving Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://ellenurbani.com/landing-bedford daily 0.75 2021-06-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60cbdd423388cd51346d5ed3/1623977667888-KKNNKA56Q58HL2460QEP/ellen_urbani_frenchelle.jpeg Home - About Your bio will go here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52a74d9ae4b0253945d2aee9/1535394867157-MTQAOAQPKWQ68DDY1HTW/tumblr_mn8b8sLRb61rkz363o1_1280.jpg Home - Take Action Ready to take the next step? 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