Carl Nordgren was born in Greenville, Mississippi where his great grandmother’s house was across the street from the childhood home of author Walker Percy. He first worked for a start-up in 1979 and has founded a half dozen companies since as well as assisted in the founding of a dozen more. He’s worked in four of the creative industries. From 2002 to 2016 he was adjunct faculty at Duke and taught over 3,500 undergrads how to be the most creative and entrepreneurial versions of themselves they could be. His first job was a fishing guide, from the summer of 1966 to the summer of 1970.
As a young man, if he wasn’t in high school or college he was guiding on the English River in wilderness Ontario and the White River in the Ozarks of Arkansas, where he learned a lot about bringing creative thinking and entrepreneurial behavior to the inches and the minutes of each day. Based on what he learned from his Ojibway friends, his award-winning title Anung’s Journey lovingly shares an ancient and beautiful legend with the world.
Carl’s passion is to re-connect individuals with their personal creative genius. He accomplishes this through his book, Becoming a Creative Genius {Again} and conducting workshops. He is available for in-person and virutal workshops.
He credits his wife Marie as a powerful influence on his work, through her nurturing of creative genius in their children and in her preschool nursery based on the Waldorf child development principles. They have three daughters, Krista Anne, Brita, and Sarah Rose, and he and Marie enjoy watching them flourish. Visit the author’s website at http://carlnordgren.com/.
Becoming a Creative Genius {Again}
Becoming a Creative Genius {again} makes the case that we are all born creative and entrepreneurial geniuses, then shows you how to become the most creatively entrepreneurial version of yourself you can be. And is there a part of your life that won’t improve when that happens?
Those attending Nordgren’s workshops comment that his content prepares them to get the most out of:
- Agile software development
- Design thinking
- Lean start-up methodology
- Corporate innovation processes
The 53rd Parallel
In his evocative debut novel Carl Nordgren weaves an ambitious tale about the power of dreams, the hope of new beginnings, and the dangers of ghosts who haunt our past.
Brian Burke emigrates from 1950s West Ireland to the wilderness of Northwest Ontario with his partner Maureen O Toole. He's been exiled from his village, and she is running from her IRA past. The dreams of an Ojibway clan elder bring the Irish to the sacred place on the River, where they build The Great Lodge of Innish Cove.
The dreams tell of a white man who will destroy the River and another who will protect it. While the Ojibway believe Brian and Maureen are the River s guardians, Maureen s IRA connections and the construction of a pulp mill upstream threaten to destroy the newly created Eden before it even begins.
Under the watchful eye of a warrior spirit, the clan and their Irish companions risk all they love to protect the River and the promises it holds for their future. The fates of the two groups will intertwine as both seek to ward off the encroachment of the modern world.
In The 53rd Parallel readers will find a rich tapestry that weaves together the literary influences of such giants as Peter Matthiessen, Ken Kesey, Jack London, and Ernest Hemingway (whose son appears in Book 2 of the River of Lakes series).
More info →
Anung’s Journey
This ancient Ojibway legend predates contact with European settlers, but the drummer boy and the people he meets at the end of his journey couldn’t be more familiar to modern culture.
When the orphaned Anung sets out on his vision quest, he sees clearly that his purpose in life is to find the greatest chief of all and tell him of the many acts of kindness the mothers and fathers of the village have given to Anung.
When the people of his village learn of the vision, they are proud of him. For every man of the village loves Anung as his son. Every woman is his mother. They believe Gitche Manitou, the great creator, has chosen their son for a special journey.
In his quest to find the greatest chief, Anung travels through the 13 tribes of the First Nations, across forests, plains, water, and desert. Along the way, he is accompanied by Turtle, the interpreter of all languages. He finds friends in the most unlikely of places––a squirrel’s nest, a mother bear’s den, and a city filled with people from every tribe. At each stop, Anung and his drum sing of his mothers and fathers and his quest to meet the greatest chief.
What Anung finds at the end of his journey will both surprise and thrill readers of all ages. This ancient legend, told in the beautifully poetic style of Carl Nordgren, begs to be read aloud and savored.
More info →
Worlds Between
Book 2 in the River of Lakes Series
In this evocative series spanning oceans and decades, award-winning author Carl Nordgren weaves a tale about the power of dreams and the dangers of ghosts who haunt our past.
In Worlds Between, book two of the River of Lakes series, readers are immersed in the idyllic setting of the fishing camp Maureen and Brian have built with Joe Loon's clan along the English River. The visit of IRA sympathizers, the building of a hydro-electric dam, and a dangerous accident provide a chilling reminder that old threats still lurk even as new dangers emerge.
Even as she celebrates the extraordinary birth of her child, Maureen continues to battle the ghosts of her IRA past. Brian grasps at the fraying promises of Eden as his world is torn apart. The Ojibway find their land and traditions further curtailed by the encroachment of the modern world. And This Man watches out over all.
"At its heart, Worlds Between is an accessible, engaging and sympathetic tale of families, cultures, and the choices that shape them. It will please fans of historical fiction, family sagas and stories from around the world."
–Foreword Reviews, 5 stars
“[Carl's] writing is remarkably lovely from the first page.”
–Foreword Reviews, 5 stars
