Koji Vanessa Able began Zen practice with the Association Zen Internationale in 2001, in the European lineage of Taisen Deshimaru. She ordained with Guy Mokuho Mercier at La Gendronnière in 2011, and again with Keido Les Kaye Roshi at Kannon Do Zen Center in 2018 after moving to the United States. Trained as a professional chaplain, she now teaches chaplaincy at the Sati Center for Buddhist Studies.
Vanessa also worked for many years as a writer and editor for feature magazines. She is the author of the travel memoir Never Mind the Bullocks, set in India and published in 2014. Inspired by the poetry she encountered through Zen practice, she founded the literary website The Dewdrop, which publishes prose and poetry intended to enrich and inspire.
She lives in France with her husband and daughter.