Elana Dykewomon - novelist, poet, essayist, and activist - was born on October 11, 1949, in New York City. She and her family moved to Puerto Rico when she was eight years old, and she returned to the United States to attend college, receiving a B.F.A. in creative writing from the California Institute of Arts, and an M.F.A. from San Francisco State University.

Her first novel, Riverfinger Women, was published in 1974, under her birthname, and her second, They Will Know Me By My Teeth, came out just two years later, under the name Elana Dykewoman. In 1981, she then published Fragments from Lesbos, a collection of poetry, as Elana Dykewomon, to further establish her Lesbian separatist identity. In 1987, Dykewomon took over as editor for Sinister Wisdom. She held this position until 1995 (along with Caryatis Cardea, 1991 - 1994) and contributed to Sinister Wisdom, including the 1989 Jewish anthology issue, Tribe of Dina.

Since passing on the role of editor to Akiba Onada-Sikwoia, Dykewomon has continued to publish novels, poetry, and short story collections. Her 1998 novel, Beyond the Pale, was awarded the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction, and in 2004, Riverfinger Women was selected by The Publishing Triangle as #84 on their list of 100 Best Lesbian and Gay Novels.