She is the author of books of poetry and nonfiction that explore the intersections of old (myth, fable, wonder, the senses) and new (science) ways of knowing, and she invites people into deeper relationship with the living world through writing workshops, interdisciplinary climate conversations, and community events. Her forthcoming book Wilderment: Creative Writing in the Time of Climate Change is a call to as well as a guide for creative writers of all experience levels to embrace their unique skills in this time of uncertainty and deepen their engagement with environmental repair both on and beyond the page. Her previous books include Feathers: A Bird-Hat Wearer’s Journal, winner of the Essay Press Book Prize, which was called “a one-of-a-kind book that raises great insights into flesh and forms of theory and poetry” by judge Ronaldo Wilson, and the poetry collections Best Bones, winner of the Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize, Darwin’s Mother, and The Creation Museum. Her poems and essays appear in publications such as American Poetry Review, The Kenyon Review, Agni, Ploughshares, and Narrative, and they have been featured by PBS Newshour, The Slowdown podcast, Poetry Society of America, and Poetry Daily.

Dr. Nordgren has taught creative writing, literature, and environmental writing at a variety of universities and arts organizations, including University of Cincinnati, Miami University, the Fine Arts Work Center Online, the Loft Literary Center, and Writers.com. She is the co-founder and Director of the School for Living Futures, an experimental, interdisciplinary project dedicated to creating new knowledge and possibility for our climate-changed future, as well as the Emerging Poets Feature Editor for 32 Poems and co-editor of the forthcoming book imprint, Lionstooth: Writing for the Wilds, published by West Virginia University Press.

Nordgren holds a PhD. in English from the University of Cincinnati, an M.F.A. in Poetry from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a B.A. in Liberal Arts from Sarah Lawrence College. She lives with her family in her hometown of Durham, NC.