Anita wrote her first poem at age 8 and first song at age 11. Her favorite childhood books, "Harold and the Purple Crayon," "Silver Pennies: A Collection of Modern Poems for Boys and Girls," and "Harriet the Spy" inspired her. She used to write poems in a little black book and number them. Before college, she had over 100 poems in the book and performed her original song while playing the guitar in front of her entire school. Her bachelor's and master's degrees are in English, with a focus in publishing and poetry. Her master's thesis is titled, "The Triadic Theory of Poetry." She also studied photography, highlighted by a series of black-and-white prints of images from warped plexiglass. Later, she photographed for the Chatham Clarion newspaper and Wing World magazine. As president of Springfield Poets and Writers, besides NTM, she might best be known for bringing poets, artists, photographers, and musicians together for events called Poets, Painters, and Performers. For years, she has read her poetry in central Illinois, while having poems and articles published in magazines, newspapers, and books. A few of her Frost-inspired poems and prayer poems can be found online. She has editing and writing experience for television, newspapers, books, nonprofits, video, radio, and magazines.
