Elizabeth Bradfield

Elizabeth Bradfield serves as Poetry Concentration Director within the Graduate Program in Creative Writing at Western Colorado University's School of Graduate Studies. A distinguished writer-naturalist, her academic work centers on interdisciplinary collaboration between literature, art, and environmental science. Her position reflects deep integration of creative practice with ecological engagement.

Bradfield's research interests span poetry creation, environmental writing, and cross-disciplinary field guide development. Her work consistently bridges literary arts with ecological science, particularly through projects like the Cascadia Field Guide that integrate traditional ecological knowledge with contemporary artistic expression. She maintains active fieldwork as a biology assistant and whale watch guide, directly informing her creative output.

Her publications demonstrate consistent evolution across environmental poetry, with recent works like SOFAR (2025) and Cascadia Field Guide (2023) establishing her as a leading voice in ecological literature. These works explore marine environments, polar regions, and Pacific Northwest ecosystems through innovative poetic and collaborative frameworks.

• Audre Lorde Prize in Lesbian Poetry
• 2024 Pacific Northwest Book Award winner
• James Laughlin Award finalist from Academy of American Poets
• Wallace Stegner Fellowship in Poetry
• Massachusetts Cultural Council fellowship

Bradfield's teaching includes CRWR 630: Foundations of Poetry, and she founded Broadsided Press in 2005, an international journal publishing biannual folios of writer-artist collaborations. Her volunteer biology fieldwork remains central to her creative methodology, connecting academic work with hands-on environmental engagement.