"A collection of important, eloquent, and often mesmerizing writings by American Indian Women. . . . A profoundly moving statement of resilience and renewal."—San Francisco Chronicle
This long-awaited anthology celebrates the experience of Native American women and is at once an important contribution to our literature and an historical document. It is the most comprehensive anthology of its kind to collect poetry, fiction, prayer, and memoir from Native American women. Over eighty writers are represented from nearly fifty nations, including such nationally known writers as Louise Erdrich, Linda Hogan, Leslie Marmon Silko, Lee Maracle, Janet Campbell Hale, and Luci Tapahonso; others — Wilma Mankiller, Winona LaDuke, and Bea Medicine — who are known primarily for their contributions to tribal communities; and some who are published here for the first time in this landmark volume.
Valerie Martinez (b. 1961) is a poet, teacher, translator, playwright, librettist, editor and collaborative artist. Her first book of poetry, Absence, Luminescent (Four Way Books 1999 & 2010), won the Larry Levis Prize and a Greenwall Grant from the Academy of American Poets after being a finalist in the Walt Whitman, National Poetry Series, and Intro Award competitions. Her second book, World to World, was published by the University of Arizona Press in 2004. Martinez's translations of the poetry of Uruguay's Delmira Agustini (1886-1914), A Flock of Scarlet Doves, was published in special edition by Sutton Hoo Press in 2005 and a book-length poem, Each and Her, is forthcoming from the University of Arizona Press in the fall of 2010. Her collection of Santa Fe poems (written during her tenure as Poet Laureate of Santa Fe), And They Called it Horizon, will also be published in 2010 (Sunstone Press).
Martinez's poetry, translations, and essays have appeared widely in literary journals and magazines including American Poetry Review; Parnassus; The Colorado Review; Puerto del Sol; The Notre Dame Review; Mandorla, Tiferet, The Bloomsbury Review, and AGNI. Her work has been included in many anthologies of contemporary poetry, including The Best American Poetry; New American Poets--A Breadloaf Anthology; American Poetry--Next Generation, Touching the Fire--Fifteen Poets of Today's Latino Renaissance; Renaming Ecstasy--Latino Writings on the Sacred and Junta--Contemporary Latino/a Poetry of the Avant Garde. Martínez served as assistant editor of the anthology Reinventing the Enemy's Language--Contemporary Writing by Native Women of North America (Norton 1997) and an essay about Joy Harjo (along with poems by Harjo and Martínez) appears in the anthology Women Poets on Mentorship: Efforts and Affections (University of Iowa Press, 2008). Valerie's poem "September, 2001" was featured in the Washington Post's "Poet's Choice" Series (September 2009) and an animated version of Valerie's poem "Bowl," appears in the Poetry Everywhere Series (PBS/The Poetry Foundation).
Valerie has more than twenty years of experience as a classroom teacher, primarily at the college level. For over fifteen years, she has also taught children, young adults, adults, teachers, and seniors in a wide range of community programs. She is Executive Director and core artist with Littleglobe, an artist-run non-profit that collaborates with communities in creating public works of art, installation, and performance as well as produces smaller scale artist collaborations. Recent projects include Lines & Circles, a public art and poetry community project involving three and four generations of Santa Fe families; Salve: Women on War and Warriorship, a spoken word and musical performance that explores the stories and reflections of women war veterans, and Lifesongs, a project in which elders in hospice and nursing homes collaborate with artists, writers, composers, and visual artists to create original musical pieces.
Valerie is also Co-Coordinator (with Shelle Sanchez) of Women & Creativity Month, a month-long series of events that celebrate women's creativity--organized and presented by the National Hispanic Cultural Center in partnership with more than 40 organizations, artists, writers, and independently owned businesses with events in both Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
In 2009 Valerie was awarded the Albuquerque Journal/SAGE Magazine "Twenty Women Who Have Made a Difference" award for her creative and community work.
Valerie has a B.A. from Vassar College and an M.F.A. from The University of Arizona. She has taught at the University of Arizona, Ursinus College, New Mexico Highlands University, University of New Mexico, College of Santa Fe, the Institute for American Indian Art (IAIA) and in the rural schools of Swaziland. She was the Poet Laureate for the City of Santa Fe, New Mexico for 2008-2010.
