About
I’ve always been passionate about the natural world and written words. After college I continued attending writing workshops to hone my skills. Then I followed the pull north to boreal forests and pristine lakes. Now, in gratitude for living close to wilderness, and as a salute to my mentors, it’s time to pass along the power that lives inside stories and poetry.
Norbert Blei was a prolific writer in many forms: nonfiction, fiction, poetry and as a journalist for the Chicago Tribune. He also taught writing courses at The Clearing in Door County, Wisconsin. He understood my intention of bringing arts and the environment together. When he established Cross+Roads Press, he published my chapbook, Finding the Lost Woman.
I also had the honor of teaching creative writing courses with Ellen Kort, Wisconsin’s first Poet Laureate. As our friendship grew, we often shared our poems and personal interests. Her kindness and wisdom further ignited my dedication to poetry.
Some years ago, my husband, Scott, and I visited Lake Superior and fell in love with all of her unapologetic moods. We now live beside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northern Minnesota.
When we arrived here, we were determined to stay. That meant taking on a variety of jobs. I sold moose-hide mukluks and moccasins, while Scott tended bar at a main street tavern. Together we directed a black bear sanctuary where bears bluff-charged each other for territory and sleeping cubs dangled from aspen branches. I studied hot-stone massage for humans and the Tellington Method for sled dogs. Scott wrote for and edited a regional weekly newspaper. I helped socialize wolf pups at the International Wolf Center, listening to their howls transform from tiny, rooster-like crows to full, rich melodies. Scott became a morning DJ, bantering away and spinning eclectic music at our local radio station. I’ve edited narratives for course expeditions at Voyageur Outward Bound School.
Throughout the years, I’ve offered many poetry readings and writing workshops. My experience includes teaching for the Center of Continuing Education at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Marshfield. I also was a Poet in Residence for ArtsWorld at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Currently, I hold frequent writing sessions at the Ely Folk School.
My written work has been published in several journals including The Wisconsin Academy Review, ArtWord Quarterly, NorthCoast Review and The Moccasin. KAXE Radio in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, has also broadcast my poetry on their morning show, and their literary programs Wordish and Stay Human.
I’ve been fortunate to receive a variety of grants that helped me complete my books, This Earth Woman and The Shore’s Absolute Edge. These awards included residencies at Norcroft: A Writing Retreat for Women; two Individual Artist Grants through the Donald G. Gardener Humanities Trust; and an Artist Access Grant through the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council.
To learn more about my written work, visit my Books page. Also, read seasonal offerings from my Nature Journal.
If you would like additional information, please visit my Contact page. Fill out your contact info and I'll be in touch.