ABOUT DEBRA ROBERTS

Debra Roberts has lived and breathed the arts all her life. Her work as an artist has taken her to England (where she lived for eleven years), Northern Ireland, Europe, and various cities around the United States. In New Mexico, she worked with Coyote Gathers His People, a Native American performing troupe, and was Director of the New Mexico Literacy Theater, a company that toured pueblos, schools, prisons and rehabilitation centers around the Southwest.

These experiences of the arts in service to multicultural communities profoundly impacted her, as did her friendship with elders and Medicine people from many traditions. A meeting with Hopi elder Thomas Banyacya, a messenger of Hopi prophecy who spoke about the vital importance of women stepping forward into the world, also deeply touched her.

In 1997, after a series of strong dreams about filmmaking, Debra started Heron Productions LLC, a multimedia company that makes compelling documentaries, music and educational videos. In the fall of 1999, she also founded Little Pearls, a non-profit company that makes “tiny films that open hearts and minds” (visit LittlePearls.org).

In late 2004, Debra went on an eight-month sabbatical that included pilgrimages to India, Hopi land, and the Black Madonna region of southern France. She has emerged from these experiences with her offering, Prasad for Women, a series of talks for Fifth World Women Walking Upright. She lives outside Weaverville, NC with her beloved family.