Nancy Arbuthnot has published four books of poetry and prose, and numerous poems and essays in literary magazines, as an author and teacher. A professor of English at the United States Naval Academy, specializing in modern poetry and creative writing, she also conducts creative writing workshops in schools, libraries, senior citizens centers and homeless shelters.  She regularly presents her thoughts on teaching at professional organizations such as the AWP (Associated Writers and Writing Programs) and ALTA (American Literary Translators Association).    

Publications:
Wild Washington: Animal Sculpture A to Z, with Cathy Abramson, The Annapolis Publishing Company, 2005.

From Where the Wind Blows by Le Pham Le (translations of poems), The Vietnamese International Poetry Society, 2003.

Mexico Shining: Songs of the Aztecs (translations of poems), Three Continents Press, 1996.

An American Artist in World War II: Jason Schoener at Eniwetok Atoll (art monograph), Simon & Schuster, 1996.

Artistic Statement - Thoughts on Poetry
For me, poetry provides a way to integrate the inner and outer worlds, the world of reality and the world of the perceiving mind, the physical world and the spiritual world. I have dedicated my life to poetry—to writing poetry, teaching great poetry, teaching others to write poetry (or at least providing some creative “tools” to help students write!). As a poet, my writing and teaching lives are integrally connected: whatever I am thinking about and writing about, I teach. I have taught literature and writing in the English Department of the Naval Academy for over twenty-five years, and have also conducted creative writing workshops as a poet-in-the-schools in Maryland and Montana and at local libraries, retirements centers, and homeless facilities in Washington, DC, where I live. Most recently, I have been using contemplative prayer practices to access my deepest thoughts and feelings, and I have been bringing the fruits of that research—my original poems, and my ideas for inspiring others to write poems—to the public, through publications and workshops. In my teaching, I especially enjoy helping participants find their “voice,” discover the stories that they want to tell. Students’ stories, in turn, enrich the ways that I look at the subjects of my own poetry. This interchange of inspiration is the reason I write and the reason I teach. Poetry for me is a way of being, the way I experience and share my experiences of the world.