in English from the Graduate School of the University of Wyoming, having completed a thesis in 1986 on science fiction of the early 20th century by American women.
She has stated that among inspirations for her poetry and short fiction she includes world mythologies, especially ancient Egyptian, and the works of horror writers of the past such as H. P. Lovecraft, J. Sheridan Le Fanu, and C. L.
[6] She has been particularly noted for poetry in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and horror that adheres to traditional verse forms such as the sonnet or the villanelle.
[7] In 2018, Schwader was created a grand master of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association in recognition of more than 20 years of contributions to the field of speculative verse.
[13] Two poems by Schwader, "Dancing to Van Gogh" and "Returning," placed third in 2008[14] and 2011,[15] respectively, in the annual Dwarf Stars Awards for short-form poetry.