Official 2025 Bios

  • Dale M. Kushner is an award-winning American novelist, poet, and essayist. With an MFA in Creative Writing and training in Jungian depth psychology, she has a passion for exploring the intersection of dreams, creativity, transformation, and a deep interest in the divine feminine, mother/daughter relationships, and intergenerational trauma.

    Dale's journey included time at the C.G. Jung Institute in Switzerland, where she immersed herself in the study of the unconscious, synchronicity, and archetypal patterns that shape our lives. 

    Dale’s work bridges art and science, offering readers a guide through the labyrinth of the unconscious with wisdom and empathy. She believes that individual growth and transformation can inspire broader societal healing and is honored to be considered a compelling voice in contemporary literature and psychological insight.

    Dale M. Kushner and her husband, the parents of two grown daughters, live in Madison, WI.

  • Dale M. Kushner is an award-winning American novelist, poet, and essayist who explores the mysterious terrain of the human psyche and its transformation in her work. Holding an MFA in Creative Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts, Dale’s deep interest in dreams, creativity, and personal transformation is enriched by her study of Jungian depth psychology. Her journey included immersive study at the C.G. Jung Institute in Switzerland, where she explored the unconscious, synchronicity, and the archetypal patterns that influence our lives.

    This background profoundly shapes her writing, including her monthly column, “Transcending the Past,” for Psychology Today, where she shares insights into dreams, relationships, trauma, and creativity.

    Her debut novel, The Conditions of Love, published by Grand Central, was celebrated for its intimate exploration of love, loss, and resilience. Her poetry collection, M, continues her journey into themes of self-discovery and healing.

    A passionate advocate for storytelling and the transformative power of dreams, Dale’s work bridges art and science, offering readers a guide through the labyrinth of the unconscious with wisdom and empathy. She believes that individual growth and transformation can inspire broader societal healing, She is honored to be considered a compelling voice in contemporary literature and psychological insight.

    Dale M. Kushner and her husband, the parents of two grown daughters, live in Madison, WI.

Approved Photos

Photo Credit: Burt Kushner

Book Covers & Reviews

 
 

Selected Honors & Appearances

  • Founder and Director, The Writer’s Place, Madison, WI

    Wisconsin Arts Board Award in the Literary Arts

    Texas Library Association Award for Outstanding Adult Fiction (The Conditions of Love)

    Pushcart Prize Nomination for Short Fiction

    Pushcart Prize Special Mention in Poetry, 2024


    Honors

    • Finalist, May Swenson Poetry Award

    • Finalist, Prairie Schooner Book Competition

    • Finalist, Dorset Prize from Tupelo Press

    • Finalist, Philip Levine Poetry Prize from CSU

    • Finalist, Agha Shahid Ali Prize from University of Utah Press 

    • Finalist, Morse Poetry Prize from Northeastern University

    Fellowships

    • The Wurlitzer Foundation — 3-Month Fellowship

    • The Fetzer Institute - Helping build the spiritual foundation for a loving world.

    • The Ragdale Foundation — Writing Residency Fellowship

    • Write On — Writing Residency

  • International Writer’s Conference
    “The End of Utopia and The New World Order”
    Invited Speaker — Former Yugoslavia

    Fetzer Institute Conference
    First Writer’s Retreat on Love, Compassion and the Arts
    Invited Guest — Kalamazoo, MI

    Chazen Art Museum
    Poetry reading
    Madison, WI

    Miller Art Museum
    Poetry reading
    Sturgeon Bay, WI

    Writer’s Institute
    Keynote speaker
    Madison, WI

    Door County Writer’s Conference
    Reading & panel
    Door County, WI

    Wisconsin Book Festival
    Madison WI

    Southwest Book Festival
    Nashville, TN

    Waukesha Book Festival
    Waukesha, WI

    Fox City Book Festival
    Appleton, WI

  • American Journal of Poetry (Margie)

    Arts & Letters

    Black Warrior Review

    BOMB

    Confrontation

    Crazyhorse

    IMAGE

    Jewish Currents

    The Literary Review

    Poetry

    Poet Lore

    Prairie Schooner

    Salmagundi

  • Between Two Worlds
    Featured expert on upcoming docuseries on dreams

    See Memory
    Documentary on Memory & Trauma featuring Dale’s interview with neuroscientist Daniela Schiller

    Dale Kushner on Being a Writer
    MediaPlusYou

    Dale Kushner: The Creative Process
    Fetzer Institute