Colleen Wells writes poetry and creative nonfiction. She believes writing is a healing force and helps others feel more empowered to share their stories. She is the author of In the Mood – A collection of 55 tools to promote mental health and well-being, the memoir, Dinner with Doppelgangers – A True Story of Madness & Recovery, and the poetry chapbooks Animal Magnetism and Around the Bend. Colleen’s work has appeared in Gyroscope Review, NUVO, The RavensPerch, Rockvale Review, The Potomac Review, and The Voices Project among other publications. Themes reflected in her writing include mental illness, empty nest, the elderly, and the environment. She is an advocate for mental health and a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist candidate. She lives, works, and writes in Bloomington, Indiana.
Praise for Colleen’s Work
In the Mood
One of the hardest parts of chronic physical or mental illness is a sense of being alone. With In the Mood, Colleen Wells accompanies us with wisdom and kindness as we move through challenging emotions and sensations. Each entry lights the candle of hope, saying both – “I’ve been there too” – and – “This might help.” The writing invites, rather than prescribes, and with that important distinction the reader finds the encouragement to keep facing forward toward healing. Wells has written an accessible, practical, and essential guide to living in greater peace with ourselves.
–Laura LaSuertmer, LMHCA
This book is a treasure trove of wisdom for meeting the everyday challenges of mental well-being. Especially meaningful for those in recovery, it also speaks to anyone navigating the natural rhythms of struggle and resilience in daily life. Sometimes all we need is a gentle nudge—a simple, practical invitation to care for ourselves more intentionally. With its rich variety of tools, this book offers many pathways, inviting each reader to discover the strategies that best support their own well-being.
Karen Carnicello Wenzel, Ph.D., CTRS, FDRT
Animal Magnetism
If there’s a place deeper than the bottom of one’s heart, then that’s where these poems come from. Colleen’s work explores the myriad ways we’ve broken the compact with our fellow life forms, domestic and wild. Humor and the potential for redemption help leaven the pain, and throughout, Colleen demonstrates she cares deeply about the things many of us only briefly consider. These poems are an invitation to stop, pause and ponder the unfathomable beauty of the world in which we live, and appreciate all the creatures—great, small and everything in between. —Jim Poyser, Author, The Last Actor and Other Stories.
Dinner with Doppelgangers – A True Story of Madness & Recovery
A must read for anyone experiencing or living with someone who is diagnosed with a mental health disorder.
—Alison Leslie, LCSW, Bloomington, Indiana
A brave and important look inside the experience of mental illness from a writer who has been there. —Susan Neville, Author Sailing the Inland Sea: On Writing, Literature, and Land