Gwen Westerman

Gwen Westerman (also known as Gwen Nell Westerman^[1]) is a Dakota educator, writer and artist. She is the Director of the Native American Literature Symposium.^[2] She was appointed by Governor Tim Walz as Minnesota's third Poet Laureate in September 2021.^[3]

Life and career[]

Westerman is an enrolled member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota Oyate and speaker of the Dakota language.^[4] She is Professor of English and Director of the Humanities Program at Minnesota State University, Mankato.^[5]

Education[]

Westerman received a BA and MA in English from Oklahoma State University. She received a PhD in English from the University of Kansas.^{[citation needed]}

Awards[]

• 1999 - Native American Inroads. The Loft, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mentor: Diane Glancy.
• 1999 - Native American Inroads. The Loft, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mentor: Susan Power.
• 2004 - Fellowship. The Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History. . Research project: Traditional Dakota beadwork, under the direction of JoAllyn Archambault, PhD.^[6]
• 2012 - Fellow. Minnesota State University, Mankato.^[6]
• 2012 - Presidential Teaching Scholar. Minnesota State, Mankato.^[6]
• 2013 - Minnesota Book Award—Minnesota Category.^[6]
• 2013 - Leadership in History Award. American Association for State and Local History.^[6]
• 2014 - Hognander Minnesota History Award^[7]
• 2014 - Distinguished Faculty Scholar, Minnesota State University, Mankato.^[6]
• 2015 - Native American Artist in Residence at the Minnesota Historical Society^[8]

Publications[]

Books[]

• Westerman, Gwen; White, Bruce (2012). Mni Sota Makoce: The Land of the Dakota. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press. ISBN 978-0873518697.
• Westerman, Gwen Neil (2013). Follow the Blackbirds. American Indian Studies. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press. ISBN 978-1611860924.

Articles and chapters[]

• Westerman, Gwen (2009). "Generosity in Continuance: The Gifts of Simon J. Ortiz". In Brill de Ramirez, Susan Berry; Lucero, Evelina (eds.). Simon J. Ortiz: A Poetic Legacy of Indigenous Continuance. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. pp. 177–182. ISBN 978-0826339881.
• Westerman, Gwen (2009). "George Shiras, III". In Cevasco, George A.; Harmond, Richard P. (eds.). Modern American Environmentalists: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 470–472. ISBN 978-0801891526.
• Westerman, Gwen (September 14, 2009). "Going Back". A View from the Loft. The Loft Literary Center. Retrieved 2015-04-13.
• Westerman, Gwen (2012). "Sister Lost, Sister Found: Redemption in Louise Erdrich's The Painted Drum and Shadow Tag". In Hafen, P. Jane (ed.). Critical Insights: Louise Erdrich. Ipswich, MA: Salem Press. pp. 245–255. ISBN 978-1429837231.
• Westerman, Gwen (2013). "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon". In Howe, LeAnne; Markowitz, Harvey; Cummings, Denise (eds.). Seeing Red—Hollywood's Pixeled Skins: American Indians and Film. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press. pp. 25–29. ISBN 978-1611860818.

Poetry[]

• "Dakota Odowaŋ". Yellow Medicine Review. 1 (1): 133–134. Spring 2007.
• "He keya Wo'okiye". Yellow Medicine Review. 1 (1): 135. Spring 2007.
• "Dakota Odowaŋ". Water-Stone Review. 13: 141–142. 2010.
• "Wowicak'u/Feed Them". Water-Stone Review. 13: 143. 2010.
• "Root Words". Natural Bridge. 26: 1. Fall 2011.
• "Where the Buffalo Roam". Natural Bridge. 26: 2–3. Fall 2011.
• "Awakening". Natural Bridge. 26: 4. Fall 2011.
• "Song for the Generations". Water-Stone Review. 15: 148–149. 2012.

Art[]

• "Caske's Pardon 2012". Ded Uŋk'uŋpi—We Are Here (Exhibit Catalog). All My Relations Gallery and James J. Hill House Gallery. 2012.
• "Mitakuye Owas (All My Relations)". Hena Uŋkiksuyapi: In Commemoration of the Dakota Mass Execution of 1862 (Exhibit Catalog). Hillstrom Museum of Art. 2012.

References[]

Further reading[]

• Brown, Curt (October 20, 2012). "NONFICTION: "Mni Sota Makoce, The Land of the Dakota," by Gwen Westerman and Bruce White". Star-Tribune. Retrieved March 12, 2012.

External links[]

• Official website