Elaine Okoro was born in Reading, Berkshire, but moved to Manchester at the age of one. She is of African, Jamaican and Irish descent. In 1984 Commonword published a pamphlet of her poetry Thoughts, Feelings and Lovers as part of its Tightfisted Poets series. She was a member of Manchester black women’s writing groups Blackscribe and Nailah and attended Identity. She also appears in the archive under the name Elaine Powell.