Nancy Austin was born in Whitefish Bay, WI, but has lived on both coasts, and points in between. She holds a Master of Science in psychology and ran a Community Support Program for individuals with mental illness in Green Bay, for many years. She is VP of the Northwest Region of the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets (WFOP). Austin has settled into the Northwoods, a place she visited as a child, known for its abundant lakes, scent of pine, call of loons. She relishes her connection with nature, kayaking, music, and most of all mingling with family, and friends. She strives to weave stories of the everyday, of social issues, and our alliance with nature into poems she hopes will connect to those who share experiences, and especially those who do not.

Austin, a Pushcart Prize nominated poet, is published in numerous journals and anthologies. Her collections include The Psychology of Rough Water (Kelsay Books, 2025), Something Novel Came in Spring (Water’s Edge Press, 2022), The Turn of the Tiller, The Spill of the Wind (Kelsay Books, 2019), Remnants of Warmth (Kelsay Books, 2016), and a collaborative anthology with the PaperBirch Poets, Stitching Earth to Sky (Water’s Edge Press, 2019).