Gwen Westerman

Career Westerman earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in English from Oklahoma State University. She received a doctoral degree in English from the University of Kansas. She worked in corporate communications for several years before beginning work at MSU. Today, she is a professor of English and director of the humanities program at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Westerman is a successful author. She was co-author of the book Mni Sota Makoce: The Land of the Dakota, which won two Minnesota Book Awards. She has published poetry written in both English and Dakota, such as in her collection Follow the Blackbirds. In 2022, she received an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship.

Fiber arts Westerman is a fiber artist who specializes in quilt-making. She has served as an artist-in-residence at the Great Plains Art Museum and the Minnesota Historical Society. She also has work in the permanent collections of the aforementioned museums, along with the University Art Galleries at the University of South Dakota and the Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota. 2012: Douglas R. Moore Research Award Fellow. Minnesota State University, Mankato. 2014: Distinguished Faculty Scholar, Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Publications Books

Gwen Nell Westerman (2023). Songs, Blood Deep. Holy Cow! Press.

Articles and chapters

Poetry

Art