How do you unwind in the summer. Do you go somewhere special, or cut down on your activity level, or do you increase your busy-ness? Listen to this podcast to hear a poem about my special place to relax and find myself amidst all the hubbub of living. summer retreat.mp3
7/8/10
Tune in to hear me read a poem from my latest book, Please Use This for Children, and Not for War and Guns. The poem is called “Manna” and is about the flannel quilts my grandmother used to make. What “manna” do you have in your life? Manna From Heaven.mp3
6/9/10
Listen in to a podcast about June wildflowers, strangers and my poem “Questions on a June Morning.” Questions on a June Morning.mp3
Here’s an example from nature of birds caring for one another. Can we do as well? I read my poem “Migration” and compare the caring of Canada geese with the care my husband got after his car accident. This poem is in my just published book: Please Use This For Children and Not for War and Guns (Blooming Twig Books, 2010.) Caring for others.mp3
4/7/10
It’s the week after Easter and I read a poem about redemption, how something “not right” can be “redeemed.” This is a poem about the farm that was given to my Grandmother as a gift from her step-father, who bought it when the neighbor lost it in the depression. What does love have to do with making things right? Listen to: redemption.mp3
3/24/10
It’s flooding in the northern U.S. and it brings to mind a poem I wrote about the “flood of the (20th) century” when I lived in St. Paul, MN. What does a flood suggest to you? Being overwhelmed? What does the word “reclamation” mean to you? What are you reclaiming, or is someone or something else claiming you and your time? This poem will be in my new poetry book called, “Please Use This for Children and Not for War and Guns” (Blooming Twig Books, NY, NY) coming out in a couple of weeks. Reclamation.mp3
2/3/10
February is the month when we think about love, all kinds of love, for children, parents, friends, lovers. What does love have to do with the security of your home? Who makes your home secure? And do those feelings of security travel with you where ever you go? Tune into my poem “Homeland Security” and learn what really makes us secure. homeland security valentine.mp3
1/06/10
What do you think of winter? Does it strengthen us or deplete us of energy? Is it friend or foe? Tune in to my reading of the poem, “Winter” from my long-awaited poetry book which will be coming out in the spring. Winter poem.mp3
12/2/09
Christmas and holiday greeting to you all. Listen to my podcast of a new poem I have written called “Christmas Hymn.” Christmas Hymn.mp3
11/11/09
My new children’s book , called The Ballad of the Rag Man (Blooming Twig Books, NY, NY.) just came out. Tune in to hear me read it and discuss the non-profit Rag Man Project, which encourages children and adults to read this book in libraries and schools and discuss with the children the concept of “difference” and also how to live “green.” Rag Man Project.mp3
10/12/09
At some time in our lives, we all ask “Do you love me?” Even when we get an answer, we seldom know if it was answered truthfully. This question is asked in a child’s voice in this poem, and then answered by that child. Do You Love Me.mp3
9/02/09
I am surprised and awed by the recent vote of the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) to include GLBTQ pastors as fully ordained members of the church, now able to use their gifts for the glory of God. I have worked for this and waited for it for many years. Tune into my podcast, where I again read a poem I read in April of 2008, called The Poem That Needs to be Written. But now this poem does not include shame for the ELCA, but for all those religions that say they walk in Jesus’ footsteps, but in fact do not understand grace and love. sexuality and the church.mp3
Tune in to hear my poem about 2 black leather jacket bikers who celebrate by sharing a poem. It is a theme of mine (don’t judge others by what they look like) that I am emphasizing with a new children’s book that will be released Sept.1, called “The Ballad of the Rag Man.” Look for it at my website soon. For now, listen to my discussion of people who are different. People who are different.mp3
6/6/09
It’s my 40th wedding anniversary tomorrow. I reflect on what makes marriages strong and lasting. Cynthia 40th anniversary.mp3
5/6/09
Does spring invigorate you, or make you more depressed because you don’t feel the promise of new life? Tune in to this month’s podcast about being alone, or being lonely. There is a difference. What can you do to feel more alive? Cynthia alone or lonely.mp3
3/25/09
Has anyone ever said that God doesn’t give you more than you can endure? Did it make you furious? It does that to me. Listen to my podcast where I read a poem about that phrase, and what to do about it. More Than We Can Endure.mp3
02/18/09
Change was a campaign buzz word, but now we are having to live that change. What does that mean for you? Are there some changes that you cannot or will not get used to? What changes are positive? Listen to this podcast where I read the poem “Cowbird and Robin” and think about the changes in your life and your world. Cynthia Gustavson Getting Used to Change.mp3
1/21/09 Some of us have been waiting decades for what happened yesterday. I’m talking about having a leader who speaks eloquently and makes careful decisions based on reality and principle, someone who makes us all want to be better, smarter, kinder. Thank you Barack Obama and thank you American electorate. Last night I slept in peace. This podcast today is in honor of all those who never lost their confidence that such a leader would appear, that such principles might again be named as American. Listen in to hear my poem, Dialysis, first published in The Christian Century in 1984, read and discussed. Blessings to this land that I love and those who take care of it. Cynthia A New Beginning.mp3
Winter Meditation 12/10/08
This is the time of year when the earth rests under the snow, the tree doesn’t have to perform, and the lilies rest in their bulbs safely underground. Tune into this podcast where I read my poem Snowy Morning in Oklahoma, and discuss the earth’s, and our, cycle of cutting back. Winter_Morning.mp3
11/12/08
It is a week after the historic election of Barack Obama. What a thrill and triumph. But at the same time 4 states chose to go backwards in human relations in their legislation to limit the freedoms of LGBT people. Listen to my poem called, The Poem That Needs to be Written, and a discussion of the subject.Election_Congrats_and_Shame.mp3
Halloween: Visions and Visitors 10/22/08
Tune into my podcast where I read the poem “Visions and Visitors” about lying in bed as a child and hearing the field mice scratch in my walls in October, and what it has to do with Halloween, the yearly ritual of fear. halloween.mp3
9/5/08
I dedicate this podcast to the memory of my mother Dorothy Knoblauch Blomquist Jorgenson who died 8/08/08. I read the poem “Sea Glass” and discuss grief and loss. mothers death.mp3
Now that the primaries are over, I hope we can talk about real issues between the parties. Listen to my podcast where I read my poem, Please Use These Words For Children. Now is the time to change the direction this country is heading. Enjoy this beautiful month of June, and come see me at the White Pine Festival in Stillwater, MN from June 17-23. Cynthia For_Obama_Clinton_and_McCain.mp3
8/03/08 Sweet Corn
Tune into my new podcast and hear me read my poem “Corn Silk,” and talk about sweet corn and August and FSA’s and ethanol. Corn isn’t so simple any more, but it still tastes yummy on the cob right from the farm or garden. Cynthia cornsilk.mp3
Filling Sandbags 6/14/08
Check out my new podcast where I read the poem “Prisoner” about filling sandbags along with a prisoner in the 1965 flood. Hope all of you are safe from the floods of this year.Filling_Sandbags_for_the_flood.mp3
Forgive My Trespassing 5/14/08
I will be at the White Pine Arts Festival in Stillwater, MN June 17 – 22. It is a fabulous festival of poetry and music in the gorgeous setting of the St. Croix Valley. I have written a book full of poems since I was there last year, and I will be reading them at Belwin Nature Center on Sunday June 22nd at 11am. The poem I read on this podcast is the title poem from that collection. It relates how I used to walk that land until it became a private nature center, and now sometimes I sneak in, and love it even more. The doors will be open that day for you to hear poetry and then to take a nature walk afterwards. Hope to see you there. Click here for the podcast reading of Forgive My Trespassing. White_Pine_arts_Festival.mp3
April 09, 2008
I have written a poem in anger over the ELCA’s refusal to accept GLBTQ people as full partners in humanity. Their recent statement is nothing new and is just another way to keep people in the church who threaten to leave over this issue. If the Lutheran Church does not make a mature statement about this issue they will be losing many other people who have given up on waiting for them to act as Jesus would have acted. Tune in to my podcast and listen to “The Poem That Needs to be Written.” Cynthia ELCA_Response_poem.mp3
I Don’t Write Love Poems 2/6/08
This is my third valentines day podcast. But there is always something new to say about love. Click here for the podcast:
New Year 1/09/08
Click here to listen to my podcast about changes for the new year, and listen to the poem “Frozen Ground.” You will also find a poetry prompt in this podcast.Frozen_Ground_podcast.mp3
Quiet Christmas 12/4/2007
Do you control your holiday, or does it completely take over, and get out of control? Tune in to my podcast, called Quiet Christmas, and hear a poem about my childhood Christmas, and a discussion about how to bring the holidays under control again. Have a wonderful holiday, Cynthia click: Quiet_Christmas.mp3
Thanksgiving and Food 10/14/07
Listen to the podcast to hear a discussion about comfort foods, and the use and misuse of food at holidays. What are your comfort foods? Do you control your intake of them, or do they overpower you? What are you thankful for? Do you believe the phrase, “moderation in all things”? Click here:Thanksgiving_and_food.mp3
Loss, 10/3/07
In this podcast I read a poem called Loss, and discuss what loss means to us in our culture, and how we are expected to “get over it.” Tune in:loss_podcast.mp3
Body Image 9/12/07
What do you think about your own body? Too fat? Too thin? Satisfied? What is healthy for you? Do you have an eating disorder? Listen to my podcast where I read my poem “Image,” from my book Re-Versing the Numbers: A Poetry Workbook for Eating Disorders, and discuss the ramifications of body image.Body_Image_podcast.mp3
At the Beach August 22,2007
Have you been to the beach this summer? Listen to my podcast and hear my poem called Walking On Sand, and a discussion about people walking on the beach, and how observant they are. Do you see what is going on in the part of the world which is separate from you? Do you care? Do you feel as though you are Top Dog when it comes to all the creatures of this earth? What does that mean, and how can we see the world differently as only one of many of God’s creatures? Click here:At_the_Beach.mp3
Going Home Again
Listen in to my podcast about driving home to Minnesota in July to be a poet in the White Pine Festival in Stillwater, MN, my home town. How did the home you grew up in form the way you translate your experience? I read my poem, “Prism,” in this podcast.prism_podcast.mp3
Glorious June
Tune into my podcast about the wonders of the month of June, and hear me read my new poem, Tiger Lily. Do the lilies really “neither toil nor spin”? Find out about worrying. Is it harmful or helpful?tiger_lily_podcast.mp3
Tomatoes In Cages: April and War
I read the poem Tomatoes In Cages, from my book Con-Versing With God, on this podcast and discuss the relationship between spring planting and pruning, and the insanity and influence of war. Click here to listen:tomatoes_in_cages_pod
Valentine 1/31/07
A special poem for valentine’s day, and a reminder of what it means to love one another. Listen in:valentine.mp3
Psalm 36, Love and Justice
Hope your holidays were wonderful. I have a new CD out for 2007 called When Love Is Real available at CDBaby.com. On it I sing several of my favorite songs including When Love Is Real which I wrote for my husband when he was in the hospital after an almost fatal car crash. Another song on the CD is Your Love Reaches to Heaven, based on Psalm 36. Listen to a discussion about these songs on my podcast.
Christmas Poem 12/8/06
Here is a poem I wrote last Christmas about the color red and babies and fresh starts. Hope you enjoy it. Cynthia
Stress Management
11/10/06
Is your life dominated by unwelcomed stress? Are you exercising, eating right, sleeping well, prioritizing your to-do list? Still too much stress?
Listen to my poem “Stress Management” and relax.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month poem
10/05/06
Tune into my October podcast and hear me read my poem called “Double Helix Twisting,” dedicated to my mother Dorothy Jorgenson and my sister Roxanne Bieber, both breast cancer survivors.
It is a long poem about my experience with doctors and waiting and fear of breast cancer. Hope all of you out there check yourselves often for lumps. This is a mostly curable disease if you catch it early.
Take care. Cynthia
Dialysis
9/19/06
It is September and the time of year when we enjoy gorgeous leaves, but the joy is oftened lessened because of the thought of the coming winter.
This time of year especially reminds us of the cycle of life. I have related that cycle to the death of the leaves, and the waiting of the trees for the nourishment of spring, and the rebirth of life.
Hear Dialysis read and talked about on my podcast.
August 4, 2006
August Tomatoes
Here is a podcast of me reading two very different poems I have written about tomatoes (Both from Con-Versing With God: Poetry for Pastoral Counseling and Spiritual Direction.)
One celebrates the sweet taste of tomatoes and gifts from the garden, and the other talks about tomatoes in cages, and living in a time of war. Enjoy your August tomatoes.
Think Globally, Act Locally 7/11/06
In this podcast I discuss Al Gore’s documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, and read a poem from my book Con-Versing With God. The poem is a tongue in cheek commentary on our use of lawn chemicals, but it addresses our current situation on this globe we call our mother. Think Globally Act Locally
June 14, 2006
Abuse and Neglect
My husband, pediatrician Dr. Ed Gustavson, has worked in the field of child abuse and neglect for years. I have heard the worst horror stories anyone could imagine. As a therapist, I, too, have heard those stories, and they never fail to knock the air out of me. In my children’s book, “Fe-Vers”, as well as in the “Fe-Vers” book for teens I have a chapter with poems designed to enable children to talk or write about abuse and neglect issues. People ask why there is such an epidemic of this horrendous condition, and I say it has something to do with our isolation. We used to live in extended family groups, or at least in villages. Now we live autonomously in large cities where we don’t know our neighbors. There is no one to help us in the middle of the night, and no one who will not judge our behavior. Our family members live 1000 miles away and we think a telephone is adequate to keep in touch with. Isolation. We need to work to develop families in the cities we live in, supportive “families” to call on for help, because we all need help sometimes. In this blog I read a poem from the two “Fe-Vers” books called “Night Secret.”
May 8, 2006
Fibromyalgia
In my new podcast I talk a little about fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and chronic pain, and read a poem from my poetry therapy book Re-Versing Your Pain, a poem called Dangling. It’s fishing season and this poem is about the worm on the hook.
April 28, 2006
Sudoku
Check out my newest podcast about the latest craze of sudoku, and my poem about it. Enjoy, Cynthia
April 6, 2006
April Love
Check out the new podcast with the poem I wrote for my daughter’s wedding
February 21, 2006
Children and Strangers
My second podcast is available. It is dedicated to two little girls, Ella Childs, budding radio emcee, and Ella Karmanos, my grand niece. Their generation are being taught to fear strangers. This podcast talks about the difficulties that creates, and ends with my poem, “The Ballad of the Rag Man” from my book Fe-Vers, Feeling Verses for Children. Tune in and be a child once more.
