Dale Kushner
Author Interview - Dale Kushner
Author of Wild Freedom
In a meditation on the creative mind, poet, novelist, essayist and student of Jung, Dale M. Kushner revisits a fairy tale she wrote decades ago during a time of crisis and uncertainty to examine the condition of "self-enchantment," a state of being that infuses life with the healing power of creativity and illuminates the luminous darkness within.
Her new book is Wild Freedom: The Princess Who Found Her Name, On Fairy Tales, Imagination and the Creative Mind. It includes a fairy tale she wrote and an accompanying personal essay that presents an unflinching and impassioned exploration of the persistence of the creative self and its not always peaceful coexistence with family, identity, motherhood and desire.
Augmenting Kushner's tale and reflections are three revelatory essays and a foreword by distinguished Jungian analysts Henry Abramovitch, Kenneth W. James, Dariane Pictet and Murray Stein.
Together, the story and essays invite readers on a journey of self-discovery through the wetlands and forests of soul.
Author Interview - Dale Kushner
Author I draw inspiration from:
Oh gosh! I can’t name only one author that I love, but I can name a category of authors. I’m drawn to female writers who explore the deeply psychological terrain of women’s inner lives—their longings, fears and desires set in an historical context. The Irish writer Edna O’Brien is one of my favorite authors.
Abandoning her convent education, O’Brien’s semi-autobiographical heroines are fiercely resilient women who confront societal repression and misogyny in mid-20th century Ireland.
Another author whose fiction I return to when I feel empty of inspiration is Marilynne Robinson. Her first novel, and I think one of her very best, Housekeeping, is a compact, lyrical, evocative novel of great wisdom and beauty. It tells the tale of Ruth and Lucille, orphaned sisters growing up in a small lakeside Idaho town and being raised by their eccentric and wandering aunt.
Author Interview - Dale Kushner | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
In a hammock, at our cabin, by the lake in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.
I prefer to be alone when I read. The presence of other people, even if they’re silent, feels like an intrusion. It’s as though someone, however much adored, has entered my private dream. Being deeply engrossed in a book can put me into a dreamlike trance and the outside world disappears. That’s how I like to read—in deep immersion with the text.
I wonder if this is true for many others.
But, also, I have joyous memories of my two daughters curled up next to me on our big bed while I read to them about the adventures of Frog and Toad or The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
Anne Frank. I feel emotional thinking about this. Anne Frank (1929-1945) was a real person, not a character in a novel. Her diary (which became a book, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl) was recovered after she died in the Holocaust at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. It is her deeply moving account of her days of hiding in an attic annex during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.
I would tell her how her diary has become a touchstone for generations of people around the globe. I would tell her that her enduring faith in humankind and her bravery in the face of death continue to inspire us.
We can hold onto her words of faith in our own dark time: “I still believe despite everything that people are really good at heart.”
Author Interview - Dale Kushner | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
I was influenced by the voices of women poets writing in the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s. Their honesty about their lives and how they crafted their deep wisdom and experiences into profound poetry provoked me to find my own voice.
I started writing poetry and was encouraged by early publications. A friend encouraged me to seek an MFA in Creative Writing, which I did. Once in grad school, I began to take myself more seriously as a writer. I felt I belonged to a tribe, the tribe of poets, and later to the tribe of fiction writers.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
Hardback or paperback. I write in the margins of pages. I like the feel of a book in my hands. I like to turn pages and discover what’s next. I don’t have that same sense of mystery when reading an ebook.
Growing up, books rescued me from a turbulent home life. I lost myself in books; in the stories of other people or animals who lived in another time and place.
The last book I read:
The Glorians by Terry Tempest Williams. I haven’t finished it yet. I’m reading slowly to savor the beauty and the sorrow on each page.
Author Interview - Dale Kushner | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
I write on a yellow legal pad with black ink Pilot pen. I’m convinced that the kinesthetic part of writing—moving the pen across lines on a piece of paper— triggers my imagination and cognitive thought processes. When I’m writing longform fiction, I write sitting up with lots of pillows on the bed in my studio that looks out on a shade garden where robins and wrens congregate during their seasons.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Lucy Barton from Elizabeth Strout’s novels. She is one of the kindest and most astute characters in fiction. Her hurts feel contemporary and her compassion for others and for a troubled world make her a role model for our times.
Author Interview - Dale Kushner | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
A chocolate taster raising golden retrievers.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
Ancient Greece - those tunics look comfortable.
Place I’d most like to travel:
I’d love to go to a village somewhere among beautiful mountains and waterfalls to join with an indigenous tribe and have an otherworldly encounter with medicine women.
My signature drink:
Iced hibiscus tea
Favorite artist:
Number one on my bucket list:
A new Qigong practice and a collaborative poetry project.
About Dale Kushner:
Dale Kushner
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 has a deep interest in dreams, creativity, and personal transformation, which was enriched by her study of Jungian depth psychology at the C.G. Jung Institute in Switzerland. There she explored the unconscious, synchronicity, and the archetypal patterns that influence our lives. This background profoundly shapes her writing. Dale’s latest book, Wild Freedom: The Princess Who Found Her Name — On Fairy Tales, Imagination, and the Creative Mind is a hybrid work of fairy tale, memoir, and reflection that explores imagination as a vital psychological and spiritual practice.
Dale is also the author of the popular monthly Psychology Today column, “Transcending the Past,” which bridges art, psychology, and science. In her columns, she shares insights into dreams, relationships, trauma, and creativity.
Dale’s debut novel, The Conditions of Love, was celebrated for its intimate exploration of love, loss, and resilience, and was nominated for the Texas Library Association Award for Outstanding Adult Fiction. Her recent poetry collection M received Special Mention in the Pushcart Prize 2024.
Her work has appeared widely in journals and anthologies, and Dale has been featured in international conferences and documentaries.
A passionate advocate for storytelling and the transformative power of dreams, Dale’s work brings together 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.
Learn more at DaleMKushner.com.
