Gretchen Legler

Gretchen Legler is a Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Maine at Farmington. Her work focuses on environmental nonfiction, ecocriticism, and the intersection of spirituality with environmental concerns. She holds a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Minnesota (1994), an MA from the same institution (1991), a BA from Macalester College (1984), and a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School (2020), where she studied spirituality and the environment.

Her major works include On The Ice (2015) about life in Antarctica and All The Powerful Invisible Things (2012), a sportswoman’s memoir. An upcoming book explores rural Maine farming. Her essays appear in Orion, Georgia Review, and Brevity.

Legler has received prestigious awards including a National Science Foundation Fellowship for Antarctic research (2010s), a Fulbright to Bhutan (2010s), and the Pushcart Prize. Her academic work bridges creative writing and environmental humanities, addressing climate change narratives and ethical stewardship.

Her recent Harvard Divinity studies inform her exploration of spiritual ecology, blending theological perspectives with environmental advocacy. Active in literary communities, she maintains a public presence through her website gretchenlegler.com.