Gunilla Theander Kester, Ph.D 


FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR, POET, AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR, CLASSICAL GUITARIST

Gunilla Theander Kester is the author and co-author of six books, including a scholarly study, two poetry chapbooks, one full length poetry collection, and two collections dedicated to the victims of Flight 3407.

Current projects include a new collection of poetry and a memoir entitled “Streetness Speaks.”

Neon sign reading 'NEWS' with the words 'Read All About It' and 'papers - magazines' underneath, hanging under an awning with string lights.

August 14, 2025

GOOD NEWS TO SHARE

  • My latest article in Consequence Forum features Adam Zagajewski’s intriguing poem “To Go to Lvov.”

    My article about Yehuda Amichai: A Perspective (Part 2) just made Consequence Journal’s Notable Publications List.

  • San Pedro River Review has accepted “In That Neighborhood.”

  • “Autumn Shapes I-V” has been accepted by J Journal in NYC.

  • “Come, Talk to Villon” is now published in the Packingtown Review, Vol. 23, Spring 2025.

  • What You Haven’t Learned is now published in Abridged, Bad Dreams.

  • My most recent review, Yehuda Amichai: A Perspective, is published in Consequence.

  • “Colander Fragment 1” is published in the newest volume of Consequence, Spring 2025, Vol. 17.1, Page 43.

  • I’ve become a regular monthly contributor to Consequence, a literary journal and forum that addresses the consequences, realities, and experiences of war and geopolitical violence through literature, art, and community events. My latest column here.

War without War: Reading Zagajewski's "To Go to Lvov"

Adam Zagajewski’s intriguing poem “To Go to Lvov” is a “return poem,” which captures the consequences of war without ever mentioning the word. As we enter into it, let’s remember the two most famous return poems, also the two oldest—Homer’s The Odyssey and Virgil’s The Aeneid.

Buffalo Corner Reading Series promotional banner with bold green and blue text.

BCRS is on hiatus for the summer.

Gunilla Kester and Mir Ali perform Yad Kiya Dil Ne

A woman with glasses and short blonde hair playing an acoustic guitar while sitting on a chair in a room with a piano in the background. She is barefoot, with her foot in a footrest and her other foot resting on the floor. There is a vase with dried
Gunilla playing an acoustic guitar.
Cover of The American Journal of Poetry, Volume 12, featuring an embellished funerary or ceremonial figure with jewelry and ornaments, with flags of the United States and text indicating a farewell tribute, dated January 1, 2022.
Zoom video call with multiple people, some holding guitars, in a virtual music session.
A collection of poetry books and magazines laid out on a blue patterned tablecloth, including titles such as 'OBERON', 'Queen City Flash', 'Poetry 2008', and 'Poetic Voices Without Borders 2'.
Woman with glasses playing an acoustic guitar in front of a brick wall and surrounded by plants.
People browsing books in a well-lit bookstore or library with large windows and wooden shelves.
Two women smiling, one with curly hair and glasses, the other with straight hair and glasses, standing indoors with a guitar partially visible on the right.
Three musicians sitting and playing acoustic guitars on stage during a concert, with other musicians and guitars in the background.
A woman and a boy smiling and posing for a photo indoors, with a wall containing gold name plates in the background.
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Flyer for Buffalo Corner Reading Series event on September 15 at 7 PM, featuring Sarah Blackman, Perry Nicholas, Rabbi Alex Lazarus Klein, Gunilla Kester, and Irene Sipos, with event details and location at Shir Shalom in Williamsville, NY.
A watercolor painting of a hybrid creature with a deer's head and a dragon's body, sitting on a rock with a blue-green tail. The creature's antlers resemble a tree with red, orange, and yellow leaves, and there are colorful shells and a purple tail o
Cover of Nixes Mate Review magazine, Issue 23, Spring 2022, featuring black-and-white photo of grain silos against cloudy sky.