Naomi is the mother of Ellen Bindman-Hicks, a singer-songwriter who lost her life in a car crash at the age of 17. Ellen wrote 48 songs in only a year and a half. She recorded 12 on her CD, Write Me a Future. After Ellen’s death, Naomi gradually remembered many of Ellen’s other songs and eventually began performing them. Naomi is also a writer, teacher and poet. Their first book of poems will be published in October 2026.
Naomi writes:
When Ellen’s life was cut short, my life too crashed to a halt. Gradually, I began to play and sing her songs, but resisted the label “performer,” because that had been Ellen’s dream, not mine. I came to accept, and eventually to embrace this new role as I shared Ellen’s words and wisdom.
Performing forced me far outside my comfort zone—forced me to do the thing antithetical to my deepest core. Yet it was the thing that provided a strange solace, and still deeply connects me to Ellen. To my amazement, people who had not known Ellen in life started to know her through me. To my even deeper amazement, I began to feel ripples of meaning, happiness, even hope. I had thought those impossible ever again.
I am gratified by the interest so many have expressed in Ellen’s music. Often people approach me to share their own losses. Even if not visible, we all carry some pain beneath our exteriors. By exposing mine openly, I touch that tender place in others, so carefully protected. I hope to provide solace and inspiration for others.
I consider my work a collaboration with Ellen, trying as she asks in her CD’s title track, to write her a future. In addition to sharing the beauty of her lyrics and melodies, I celebrate Ellen’s life, share stories, and bring joy and humor to my performances, writing and poetry. Most of all, I wish to honor Ellen and keep her light shining.
