Mark Dornblaser

I began writing in earnest in my twenties. In those early days, my writing centered on travel articles and personal essays. I grew up in a family of travelers, camping and backpacking our way throughout all fifty states. These adventures led me to become a keen observer of the natural world, and fueled my other passion, photography. My degrees in Environmental Science and Oceanography only furthered my interest in the natural world and taught me to see the world through lenses covering scales from the micro to the macro and beyond.

As I grew older, my love of the natural world, along with increased introspection and a desire to understand the human condition, set me on a path of expressing myself through poetry. Landscapes were the focus of many of my poems, and also became a conduit to exploring our place in this world. I gravitated to the works of Robert Frost, and Mary Oliver in particular. I have lived in Vermont and on Cape Cod, so these poets were truly inspirational to me.

Having poems published in the Poetry Society of Colorado’s “Showcase” motivated me to self-publish a collection of my works, side by side with my photography. Released in 2023, my book “Windows” explores what it means to be human. My poetry delves into universal themes of love, loss, growing older, growing wiser, regret, and ultimately, hope. What is our relationship with ourselves, our family and friends, and our beautiful earth? As a poet and photographer, I look out through my own window, my own prism, to describe the human experience. I hope that readers gazing out of their own windows will find commonalities in their own experiences in life.

I wish to continue to explore our natural world and who we are as a species. Just as one changes lenses on a camera, our perspective on the world, and on the people around us, changes as we move through life. How do we save our planet, and our species, as space and resources dwindle? What does it mean to call someplace “Home,” be it the roof over our heads or the planet we live on? Can we all find the peace that we seek, both individually and collectively? Writing is a lifelong passion, and I trust poetry will keep me company as I move through the next chapters of my life.