Zoe was born and raised in Evanston, Illinois on the western shore of Lake Michigan. The lake's unique biota and mercurial waters inspired her love of writing rooted in nature. After retiring from acrobatics, Zoe left the Midwest for the Southwest where she completed her BA and MA in literature and creative writing at Prescott College, and earned eleven James & Judith Walsh Awards for her poetry and essays. Her work has appeared in publications such as The New York Times, The Hopper, Plainsongs, Kelp Journal, About Place, and West Trade Review, and has been nominated for Best of The Net.