Cynthia Blomquist Gustavson

Cynthia Blomquist Gustavson was born in rural Minnesota to a jazz musician and a waitress in 1947. She is the author of five poetry collections, several poetry workbooks for therapists, a children's book, and has published in numerous journals. She was educated at Gustavus Adolphus College, Boston University, Louisiana State University, United Seminary of the Twin Cities, and Oklahoma State University, and has taught at Northeastern State University in Tallequah, Oklahoma, and Louisiana State University in Shreveport, Louisiana. She has been an invited lecturer around the country, as well as in Europe. Gustavson first taught elementary education, then spent twenty-eight years as a social worker where she has worked in drug prevention, with caregivers of the chronically ill and developmentally disabled, and is now a psychotherapist for individuals and groups, as well as a speaker and writer. She paired her love of poetry and her skills as a therapist to develop the concept of the poetry therapy workbook. A much acclaimed poet and author, she is the winner of a New Millennium Writings Award in 2002 and finalist for the Rita Dove Poetry Award from the Salem College Center for Women Writers in 2004. Both her children's book, "Ballad of the Rag Man", and her poetry book, "Please Use This for Children," are Indie Excellence Award winners. Her most recent book, "Bully: The Big Book for Bullies and the Bullied" has earned the Mom's Choice Award. Gustavson was invited to write the chapter in a social work textbook that explains poetry therapy and how to use it with sexual abuse victims (Expressive Therapies for Sexual Issues: Springer, 2012.) Gustavson lives and works in Tulsa, Oklahoma with her husband of 42 years.