Education
MFA, University of Southern Maine, Creative Writing (Fiction), 2006
B.A., Fort Lewis College, English, 1997
Biography
Candace Nadon has an MFA in Fiction from Stonecoast Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing and a Ph.D. in English with Creative Concentration from Georgia State University. Her fiction, poetry and lyric essays have appeared or are forthcoming in Hartskill Review in The Fourth River, Platte Valley Review, Dogwood: A Journal of Poetry and Prose, and Mary: A Journal of New Writing, among others. She edited the book “Our Place Two”, and contributed to the forthcoming textbook “Primary Research and Writing.”
Nadon is a fifth-generation Coloradan and currently lives in Durango, where she teaches at Fort Lewis College and is working on a novel.
How did you discover Western?
I have family roots in the Gunnison Valley and at Western. My great-great grandfather, Clyde Welch, was the county judge for several years beginning in 1937 and ranched on the Tomichi, and the artist Ila McAfee is a relative. Some of her paintings hang in the Western library.
Many of my family graduated from Western, including my maternal grandfather and an uncle, who also worked on a ranch near Saguache while in college. Mark Todd introduced me to the Graduate Program in Creative Writing, and it’s been an honor to be part of such an excellent program in a place that I feel tied to.
What are some of the highlights of your career?
I like to think that I am always growing and the best opportunities are always ahead of me. I am thrilled with a recent publication in a magazine edited by my dissertation advisor where I was included with several writers I admire with a story that speaks to my interest in telling women’s stories.
What most excites you about your field?
Telling stories makes us human, and I love that there are always more stories to tell and new ways to tell them. I am drawn to the ways stories allow us to explore the issues pertinent to our survival as human beings, and I am particularly excited that the field has begun to include a more diverse range of voices. There is always room to grow as a writer, and I love that writing always presents new challenges and new opportunities.
What is your favorite thing about the Gunnison Valley?
The sunsets and wildflowers are gorgeous, and the stands of aspen on Kebler Pass are lovely no matter the time of year, but the people of the Gunnison Valley are what truly make it an incredible place.