I’m Nadia. My work explores the relationship between voice, body, spirit, and action.
I invite students and readers to use the power of literature for transformative, compassionate change—individually and collectively.
I believe in the value of each person’s voice.
I’m so glad you’re here. Welcome!
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“At last I discovered a writing mentor, Nadia Colburn, who dares to value both the craft of writing and one’s personal journey of body, mind, spirit and voice.”
About Me
Writer, Teacher, Coach, Yogi, Activist
I’m so glad you’re here!
I’ve worked with thousands of students and offer in-person creative writing classes in the Boston MA area, online writing classes that often bring together meditation, yoga and writing, in-person retreats, and one-on-one coaching.
I have seen again and again that we write our best work when we bring our full selves to our writing and attend to both craft and process, the mind and the body.
In my own writing, I explore questions of the body, motherhood, trauma, healing, social and environmental justice, and the power of literature, narrative, and language themselves.
My full-length poetry collection, The High Shelf, was published in the fall of 2019. Chase Twichell, author of Things As It Is, wrote of the collection: “Spare, brilliant, and open-hearted, these poems do what we most need art to do in this perilous age: they show how the mind invents both itself and its world, and thus where our responsibility lies. This is a book that will reward both readers of poetry and those seeking insight into suffering and resilience. An exhilarating read.”
I also write creative nonfiction, personal essays and lyric memoir, where I explore the intersection of my personal stories with the larger social, historic, environmental stories around us. I’m particularly interested in how the literature we read helps orient us to the world. Sharing authentic stories of women’s lived, embodied experiences allows us to understand ourselves and our world differently.
My poetry and prose have won awards and been widely published in more than 80 national publications including The New Yorker, The Kenyon Review, LA Review of Books, Lion’s Roar, Spirituality & Health, Boston Globe Magazine.
I bring together my more traditional academic background with a more holistic, mindful approach. I have a BA from Harvard and a Ph.D. in English from Columbia University and have taught literature and creative writing at MIT, Lesley, Stonehill College, and Grub Street and have offered lectures and retreats at such places as Harvard Divinity School, Copper Beech Institute, Mass Poetry Festival and elsewhere. I’m also a serious student of Thich Nhat Hanh, a yoga teacher, an activist for peace, equity and the environment, a mother of two, and wife, daughter, sister and friend.
I have a wide variety of programs and can develop programs suited to your individual needs. Please reach out to me with any questions!
“Nadia Colburn is truly one of those very great teachers”
A Holistic Approach To Online Creative Writing Courses
Online Writing Classes For Poetry, Nonfiction, Memoir, Healing & More.
ONLINE WRITING COACHING AND LIFE COACHING
CREATIVE WRITING CLASSES IN THE BOSTON AREA
Looking For Creative Writing Classes in Boston (or online during COVID)?
If you’re searching for “creative writing classes near me,” I offer some of the best writing classes in the Boston area.
Do you want to join a strong, respectful community of poets and creative nonfiction writers?
Do you want to tap into your creativity and expand your unique voice?
These courses focus on process, content and craft, and use mindfulness techniques, as well as my experience as an award-winning writer, editor and scholar to help you produce your most enduring, forceful and original work.
Space is limited! Classes are between 9-12 students to allow for plenty of individualized attention and real community.
My Creative Writing Blog
Birches Robert Frost, a poem for mid-winter 2021
"Birches" by Robert Frost is one of my favorite poems, and a perfect poem for this moment... "Birches" is a beautiful midwinter poem, and I've been thinking about it a lot, especially this pandemic winter, when I've been longing for some escape. In the poem, the...
Swan by Mary Oliver for 2021
HAPPY 2021! I want to share "Swan" by Mary Oliver for the new year. This powerful poem by Mary Oliver is about being present and about change. That might sound like a paradox: how can we both be present and invite change? For a long time, I struggled with that...
The light that came to lucille clifton
I want to share a poem that feels appropriate for this moment: Lucille Clifton's wonderful "the light that came to lucille clifton." I love this poem at any time, but now it seems especially pertinent. What happens when, as the poem says, our "fondest sureties fade...
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