John Gust

John Gust has been an educator, writer, and seminar leader for nearly two decades. John has taught everything from first-grade to graduate level courses in the teacher education departments at several universities. He has also been an educational consultant specializing in teacher trainings, curriculum design and event promotions.

John has published a total of seven teacher resource books on topics such as self-esteem enhancement, character development, systems thinking, communication skills and multicultural education. His most recent work is titled "Adventures in Fantasy: Lessons and Activities in Descriptive and Narrative Writing" (Jossey-Bass). John's first attempt at storytelling was a piece of narrative nonfiction titled "Round Peg, Square Hole: A Teacher Lives and Learns in Watts" (Heinemann). This book shares the story of the many challenges John and his students faced in and out of school in south-central Los Angeles.

Throughout John's career he has been an advocate of holistic education, critical pedagogy, transformative learning and ecological literacy. He has a special interest in narrative inquiry, action research and consciousness studies. Currently, John is working on his first piece of fiction for young adults: The Taylor Thomas Trilogy. To learn more about John, his books, and his writing workshops, visit his website at www.johngust.org.