Barbara Ellen Sorensen is a contributing writer to the Tribal College Journal. Barbara is former senior editor for Winds of Change magazine which focuses on educational and career opportunities for Native Americans in STEM areas. In 2009, she received a Sequoyah Fellowship from the American Indian Science & Engineering Society (AISES) for her journalistic work in promoting Native representation in the STEM fields. She was on the advisory board for the College Horizons program (CH) and for 10 years she tutored Native students in college application essay writing at CH sponsoring universities Duke, Stanford, Westmont, St. John’s-Santa Fe, Colorado State University, and Washington University.
Sorensen also occasionally writes book reviews for Mom Egg Review.
Sorensen’s poetry and memoir pieces have been published in numerous online and print journals. Additionally, Sorensen has had four books of poetry published. A chapbook, Song from the Deep Middle Brain, appeared from Main Street Rag press in 2010 and was a finalist in the 2011 Colorado Book Awards. In 2013, her book Compositions of the Dead Playing Flutes was published by Able Muse Press. In 2018 her book, Mary’s River was published by Kelsay Books, and her book Snow Over an Origami Heart was released in September 2026.
She has a BA in English from the University of Iowa and a masters in creative writing from Regis University, Denver. Barbara lives up in the foothills outside of Boulder with her husband.
