Originally from Bali, Indonesia, Cynthia Dewi Oka is the author of four books of poems, most recently A Tinderbox in Three Acts, a Blessing the Boats Selection chosen by Aracelis Girmay (BOA Editions, 2022) and Fire Is Not a Country (Northwestern University Press, 2021). A recipient of the Amy Clampitt Residency, Tupelo Quarterly Poetry Prize, and the Leeway Transformation Award, her writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Oprah Daily, POETRY, Academy of American Poets, Poetry Society of America, Hyperallergic, and elsewhere. Cynthia is an alumnus of the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers, and has taught creative writing at Bryn Mawr College, New Mexico State University, Blue Stoop, Voices of Our Nations (VONA), Anaphora Literary Arts, and The Writers' Program at UCLA Extension. For fifteen years, Cynthia worked with social movements for racial, gender, climate, and migrant justice as an organizer, trainer, and fundraiser. Based in Los Angeles, Cynthia is currently working on screenplays and serving as Editor-in-Chief of Adi Magazine. For more information, visit cynthiadewioka.com.
Author photo courtesy of Jose Quintana
The 2025 Visiting Writers Program is generously supported by The Rona Jaffe Foundation
