Welcome. I’m David.
Writer, artist, designer, and lifelong observer of the strange beauty in being human.
I grew up in the Polder family of painters — so art was part of the air I breathed. Over time I moved from painting to writing, design, and digital media, exploring what I call the prism of body (art), mind (science), and soul (spirit).
As an adoptee — and someone learning to live creatively with Parkinson’s — I’m drawn to what light can emerge through cracks and change. My books (Phantom Parents, Tonic for the Bones, and more to come*) and visual work all circle that theme: finding meaning through adversity.
Featured Work
My recent projects:
Phantom Parents
Phantom Parents
A memoir intertwining personal narrative with philosophical inquiry, reflecting on adoption and the search for identity in pictures and words.
Published in 2023.
For sale here:
Tonic for the Bones
Tonic for the Bones
An ongoing hybrid project blending essays, visual art, and poetry, exploring life with Parkinson’s, fatherhood, and creative survival.
Due 2025
Strangely Familiar
A boy between two mothers. A grandfather’s shadow. A legacy lost and found.
Strangely Familiar is a lyrical, soul-searching journey through memory, adoption, Jewish identity, and the quiet fire of becoming. Both intimate and universal, it explores how the past trembles through the present—and how the urge to remember can become a path to wholeness.
Due 2025/2026
What people say about my work
“This book asks to be written”
Rebecca
“The short stories and visuals intertwine with each other beautifully”
Sara
“Wonderfully crafted, leaving room for the imagination of the reader”
another reader
Yes, it is a memoir, but it’s so much more than that. Like life, it isn’t just black and white, or a Facebook approach of only sharing the happy moments. It is humorous and relatable, but also vulnerable and revealing in its search for meaning in being an adoptee. David Enker is also a talented artist and graphic designer; so naturally, the memoir is sprinkled with illustrations and photos, and there are entire sections in graphic novel format.
Kristin
FROM THE BLOG
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David Enker
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David Enker2025-06-15 18:06:142025-06-15 18:31:35Short story published