Nancy L Baenziger
Nancy L Baenziger Ph.D. lived a first life in the U.S. Midwest, publishing scholarly papers as a biomedical sciences professor whose students called her “Dr. B.” She made important discoveries later claimed, or scorned and then pursued, by other scientists who hoped nobody would notice. Nancy formally retired with honor from academia the day before her dismissal by e-mail (the 2nd firing in her 40 years as a thorn in the side of her institution) took effect. That stubborn resilience fits right in as she takes her place among an emerging cohort of Indigenous people reclaiming their once-buried identity within the Scandinavian High Arctic Saami diaspora. These people of the reindeer are noted worldwide for their heritage of resolve to outlast and outwit adversity. Nancy's science is now health care policy journalism as she also revels in a second life writing poetry, essays, and newsletters from Hawaii Island and Oregon’s Columbia Gorge, in view of 9 named volcanoes, some still prone to erupting.
Learn more about her two published poetry books, channeling 12,000 years of storytelling history, and her evolving shared artistic endeavors with photographer husband Jacques at her web site: www.9volcanoespublishing.wordpress.com.
Nancy’s Published Books
Protagonists
A debut poetry collection that's lyrical--with an edge, and stories to tell.
Protagonists calls up a chorus of voices most insistent on being heard. Nancy naturally adopts the role of storyteller for those voices. The firelight tales legacy of her Saami foremothers illuminates her word portraits that illuminate the joys, fears, and fates of her speakers. Protagonists charts a haunting trajectory through inner space, reflecting on forces that shape a life and the stories that life tells. Some stories Nancy has witnessed; others she has lived. The speakers, human and other, present vignettes ranging from transcendent to chilling that span many thousand years. From our earliest cousins to characters on a pandemic stage and more, all seek acknowledgement that they are ..... noticeable. Nancy offers readers insights for resilience that, once found, can be called forth and nurtured and revered.
Voices and faces from a tectonic landscape 2024
A new poetry collection offers a compelling fusion of stories and photographic images.
Citizens speaks to readers from the very first page of its poems and photographs, in a first-person voice and viewpoint, of love for the land and its Citizens, from animals to rocks and rivers. Crafted by two storytellers whose respective roots date back thousands of years, this collaborative art- and word-work evokes the beauty as well as the dangers, hidden or not, found in nature settings across the globe from the Columbia Gorge to Hawaii to Africa. Nancy's poetry focus reflects her foremothers, the Saami reindeer people of Lapland sharing tales and knowledge by firelight, resonating with Nancy's portrayal of Citizens' speakers, animate and inanimate. Her husband Jacques' photographic heritage arises from Neolithic lake dwellers of his native Switzerland set against a backdrop of towering mountains. His images convince one that animals have thoughts and opinions, as do volcanoes and trees. Here Nancy and Jacques join forces, pairing poems and photos set in dramatic landscapes still being molded by nature’s restlessness. Citizens is a testament to the enduring relationship between humans and the natural world, offering a rich, multi-sensory experience that invites readers to see, feel, and listen to the voices of the land and its inhabitants.
