During more than a decade as a public information officer for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Ms. Colburn served as both a writer and photographer for NEBRASKAland magazine, as well as a variety of other publications. She served in the same capacity for a company that provided care for people with developmental disabilities, and UNL's West Central Research and Extension Center, sandwiching in gigs as an over-the-road truck driver and a waitress.
A sixth generation Nebraskan, she still lives in her home state, although she keeps information about the rest of the world and has friends from all over the U.S. and a number of other countries. A farm kid, she has grown things in pots, in full shade, on rocks, over chain link fences, and among the debris of old buildings.