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{{Short description|American poet (born 1978)}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- For more information see [[:Template:Infobox Writer/doc]]. -->
{{use mdy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Natalie Diaz
| name = Natalie Diaz
| honorific_prefix =
| honorific_suffix =
| image = Natalie Diaz.jpg
| image = Natalie Diaz.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
| native_name =
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| pseudonym =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1978|09|04}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1978|09|04}}
| birth_place = [[Needles, California]]
| birth_place = [[Needles, California]], U.S.
| death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
| death_date =
| death_place =
| death_place =
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| language = [[Mojave language|Mojave]]; English; Spanish <ref>{{cite web |last1=Parmar |first1=Sandeep |title=Natalie Diaz: 'It is an important and dangerous time for language' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jul/02/natalie-diaz-postcolonial-love-poem-shortlisted-forward-prize-collection-interview |website=The Guardian |access-date=22 October 2020 |date=2 July 2020}}</ref>
| language = [[Mojave language|Mojave]]; English; Spanish <ref>{{cite web |last1=Parmar |first1=Sandeep |title=Natalie Diaz: 'It is an important and dangerous time for language' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jul/02/natalie-diaz-postcolonial-love-poem-shortlisted-forward-prize-collection-interview |website=The Guardian |access-date=22 October 2020 |date=2 July 2020}}</ref>
| education = [[Old Dominion University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]], [[Master of Fine Arts|MFA]])
| nationality = [[Gila River Indian Community]]<ref name="poetryfoundation">{{Cite web|url = http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/natalie-diaz|title = Natalie Diaz|website = www.poetryfoundation.org|publisher=[[Poetry Foundation]] |access-date = 2016-05-01}}</ref>
| citizenship =
| education =
| alma_mater = [[Old Dominion University]]
| period =
| genre = Poetry
| genre = Poetry
| subject =
| movement =
| notableworks =
| spouse =
| partner =
| children =
| relatives =
| awards = [[Pulitzer Prize for Poetry]] 2021
| awards = [[Pulitzer Prize for Poetry]] 2021
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}}
⚫
'''Natalie Diaz''' (born September 4, 1978)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://odusports.com/news/2013/5/20/208424499.aspx|website=odusports.com|title=Natalie Diaz|date=2013-05-20|access-date=2020-03-08}}</ref> is a [[Pulitzer Prize]]-winning<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.asu.edu/20210611-creativity-asu-poet-natalie-diaz-wins-pulitzer-prize-postcolonial-love-poem#:~:text=Topping%20the%20headlines%20again%2C%20Arizona,anthem%20of%20desire%20against%20erasure.%E2%80%9D|title=Poet Natalie Diaz wins Pulitzer Prize|website=ASU News|publisher=Arizona State University|date=11 June 2021}}</ref> [[Mohave people|Mojave]] [[United States|American]] [[poet]],<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|last=Parmar|first=Sandeep|date=2020-07-02|title=Natalie Diaz: 'It is an important and dangerous time for language'|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jul/02/natalie-diaz-postcolonial-love-poem-shortlisted-forward-prize-collection-interview|access-date=2020-10-22|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> language activist, former professional basketball player, and educator. She is enrolled in the [[Gila River Indian Community]] and identifies as [[Akimel O'odham]].<ref name=":1" /> She is currently an Associate Professor at [[Arizona State University]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Natalie Diaz |url=https://english.asu.edu/content/natalie-diaz |access-date=13 July 2021}}</ref>

⚫
'''Natalie Diaz''' (born September 4, 1978)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://odusports.com/news/2013/5/20/208424499.aspx|website=odusports.com|title=Natalie Diaz|date=2013-05-20|access-date=2020-03-08}}</ref> is a [[Pulitzer Prize]] winning,<ref>[https://news.asu.edu/20210611-creativity-asu-poet-natalie-diaz-wins-pulitzer-prize-postcolonial-love-poem#:~:text=Topping%20the%20headlines%20again%2C%20Arizona,anthem%20of%20desire%20against%20erasure.%E2%80%9D]</ref> [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Latina]] and [[Mojave people|Mojave]] [[United States|American]] [[poet]],<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|last=Parmar|first=Sandeep|date=2020-07-02|title=Natalie Diaz: 'It is an important and dangerous time for language'|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jul/02/natalie-diaz-postcolonial-love-poem-shortlisted-forward-prize-collection-interview|access-date=2020-10-22|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> language activist, former professional basketball player, and educator. She is enrolled in the [[Gila River Indian Community]] and identifies as [[Pima people|Akimel O'odham]].<ref name=":1" /> She is currently an Associate Professor at [[Arizona State University]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Natalie Diaz |url=https://english.asu.edu/content/natalie-diaz |access-date=13 July 2021}}</ref>


==Early life==
==Early life==
Natalie Diaz was born in Needles, California on Sep. 4. 1978 .<ref name="flyway.org">[https://flyway.org/blog/interview-with-natalie-diaz/]</ref> She grew up in the [[Fort Mojave]] Indian Village in [[Needles, California]], on the border of [[California]], [[Arizona]], and [[Nevada]]. She attended [[Old Dominion University]], where she played point guard on the women's basketball team, reaching the NCAA Final Four as a freshman and the bracket of sixteen her other three years. She earned a bachelor's degree.<ref>[https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/natalie-diaz]</ref> After playing professional basketball in Europe and Asia, she returned to Old Dominion University, and completed an MFA in poetry and fiction,<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://poetry.arizona.edu/people/natalie-diaz |title =Natalie Diaz |publisher=The University of Arizona Poetry Center. poetry.arizona.edu|access-date = 2017-08-14}}</ref> in 2006.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.odu.edu/news/2013/2/natalie_diaz_poetry#.Vx6cMDArKUk|title=ODU Alum Natalie Diaz's Poetry Gets New York Times Attention|website=Old Dominion University|access-date=2016-05-01}}</ref>
Natalie Diaz was born in [[Needles, California|Needles]], [[California]], on September 4. 1978.<ref name="flyway.org">{{cite web| url=https://flyway.org/blog/interview-with-natalie-diaz/ | title=Interview with Natalie Diaz | access-date=2024-03-11}}</ref> She grew up in the [[Fort Mojave Indian Reservation|Fort Mojave]] Indian Village in Needles, California, on the border of California, [[Arizona]], and [[Nevada]]. She attended [[Old Dominion University]], where she played point guard on the [[Old Dominion Monarchs women's basketball|women's basketball team]], reaching the [[1997 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|NCAA Final Four]] as a freshman and the bracket of sixteen her other three years. She earned a bachelor's degree.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/natalie-diaz|title = Natalie Diaz|date = 27 September 2021}}</ref> After playing professional basketball in Europe and Asia, she returned to Old Dominion University, and completed an MFA in poetry and fiction,<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://poetry.arizona.edu/people/natalie-diaz |title =Natalie Diaz |date =28 January 2015 |publisher=The University of Arizona Poetry Center. poetry.arizona.edu|access-date = 2017-08-14}}</ref> in 2006.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.odu.edu/news/2013/2/natalie_diaz_poetry#.Vx6cMDArKUk|title=ODU Alum Natalie Diaz's Poetry Gets New York Times Attention|website=Old Dominion University|access-date=2016-05-01}}</ref>


==Career==
==Career==
Her work appeared in ''Narrative,''<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.narrativemagazine.com/authors/natalie-diaz|title = Natalie Diaz {{!}} Narrative Magazine|date = 2008-11-05|website = Narrative Magazine|access-date = 2016-05-01}}</ref> ''Poetry magazine'',<ref name="poetryfoundation"/> ''Drunken Boat,''<ref>{{Cite web|url =http://www.drunkenboat.com/db15/natalie-diaz.html|title =Dome Riddle |last=Diaz |first=Natalie |publisher=Drunken Boat. www.drunkenboat.com|access-date =2017-08-14}}</ref> ''Prairie Schooner, Iowa Review, and Crab Orchard Review''.<ref name="Copper Canyon Press">{{Cite web|url = https://www.coppercanyonpress.org/authors/natalie-diaz/|title = Copper Canyon Press|website = www.coppercanyonpress.org|access-date = 2016-05-01}}</ref>
Her work appeared in ''Narrative'',<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.narrativemagazine.com/authors/natalie-diaz|title = Natalie Diaz {{!}} Narrative Magazine|date = 2008-11-05|website = Narrative Magazine|access-date = 2016-05-01}}</ref> ''[[Poetry (magazine)|Poetry]] magazine'',<ref name="poetryfoundation">{{Cite web|url = http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/natalie-diaz|title = Natalie Diaz|website = www.poetryfoundation.org|publisher=[[Poetry Foundation]] |access-date = 2016-05-01}}</ref> ''Drunken Boat'',<ref>{{Cite web|url =http://www.drunkenboat.com/db15/natalie-diaz.html|title =Dome Riddle |last=Diaz |first=Natalie |publisher=Drunken Boat. www.drunkenboat.com|access-date =2017-08-14}}</ref> ''[[Prairie Schooner]]'', ''[[Iowa Review]]'', and ''Crab Orchard Review''.


Diaz's debut book of poetry, ''When My Brother Was an Aztec'',<ref>[https://www.coppercanyonpress.org/books/when-my-brother-was-an-aztec-by-natalie-diaz/ ''When My Brother Was an Aztec'']. [[Copper Canyon Press]]. Retrieved September 22, 2013.</ref> was a 2012 Lannan Literary Selection,<ref>{{Cite web|url =http://www.lannan.org/literary/awards-and-fellowships |title=Awards and Fellowships: Recent Recipients |work=Lannan Literary Program |publisher=Lannan Foundation. www.lannan.org|access-date = 2017-08-14}}</ref> a 2013 [[PEN/Open Book Award]]<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.pen.org/content/pen-open-book-award-5000|title = PEN Open Book Award ($5,000) {{!}} PEN American Center|website = www.pen.org|access-date = 2016-05-01}}</ref> shortlist, and “portrays experiences rooted in Native American life with personal and mythic power.”<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-55659-383-3|title = Fiction Book Review: When My Brother Was an Aztec by Natalie Diaz|website = PublishersWeekly.com|access-date = 2016-05-01}}</ref> One important focus of the book is a brother's addiction to crystal meth.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.seattlestar.net/2012/11/natalie-diaz-meth-mistakes-mischievous-barbies/|title = Natalie Diaz: Meth, Mistakes & Mischievous Barbies |last=Logue |first=Heather |date=November 27, 2012 |publisher=The Seattle Star. www.seattlestar.net|access-date = 2016-05-01}}</ref>
Diaz's debut book of poetry, ''When My Brother Was an Aztec'', "portrays experiences rooted in Native American life with personal and mythic power."<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-55659-383-3|title = Fiction Book Review: When My Brother Was an Aztec by Natalie Diaz|website = PublishersWeekly.com|date = May 2012|access-date = 2016-05-01}}</ref> It was a 2012 Lannan Literary Selection,<ref>{{Cite web|url =http://www.lannan.org/literary/awards-and-fellowships |title=Awards and Fellowships: Recent Recipients |work=Lannan Literary Program |publisher=Lannan Foundation. www.lannan.org|access-date = 2017-08-14}}</ref> was shortlisted for the 2013 [[PEN/Open Book Award]],<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.pen.org/content/pen-open-book-award-5000|title = PEN Open Book Award ($5,000) {{!}} PEN American Center|website = www.pen.org|access-date = 2016-05-01}}</ref> and was a 2013 [[American Book Awards|American Book Award]] winner.<ref>[https://vinylpoetryandprose.com/2016/01/when-my-brother-was-an-aztec-by-natalie-diaz/ When My Brother Was an Aztec by Natalie Diaz ]</ref> One important focus of the book is a sister struggling with her brother's addiction to crystal meth.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.seattlestar.net/2012/11/natalie-diaz-meth-mistakes-mischievous-barbies/|title = Natalie Diaz: Meth, Mistakes & Mischievous Barbies |last=Logue |first=Heather |date=November 27, 2012 |publisher=The Seattle Star. www.seattlestar.net|access-date = 2016-05-01}}</ref>


In 2012, she was interviewed about her poetry and language rehabilitation work on the ''[[PBS News Hour]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://video.pbs.org/video/2233488990/|title = Watch Full Episodes Online of PBS NewsHour on PBS {{!}} Conversation: Poet Natalie Diaz|website = PBS|language = en-US|access-date = 2016-05-01}}</ref>
In 2012, she was interviewed about her poetry and language rehabilitation work on the ''[[PBS NewsHour]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://video.pbs.org/video/2233488990/|title = Watch Full Episodes Online of PBS NewsHour on PBS {{!}} Conversation: Poet Natalie Diaz|website = PBS|language = en-US|access-date = 2016-05-01}}</ref>


In 2018, she was named as the Maxine and Jonathan Marshall Chair in Modern and Contemporary Poetry at Arizona State University.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://asunow.asu.edu/20181029-natalie-diaz-appointed-marshall-endowed-chair-poetry-asu|title=Natalie Diaz appointed Marshall endowed chair in poetry at ASU|date=2018-10-29|website=ASU Now: Access, Excellence, Impact|language=en|access-date=2019-02-04}}</ref>
In 2018, she was named as the Maxine and Jonathan Marshall Chair in Modern and Contemporary Poetry at Arizona State University.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://asunow.asu.edu/20181029-natalie-diaz-appointed-marshall-endowed-chair-poetry-asu|title=Natalie Diaz appointed Marshall endowed chair in poetry at ASU|date=2018-10-29|website=ASU Now: Access, Excellence, Impact|language=en|access-date=2019-02-04}}</ref>


In 2019, she was faculty at the [[CantoMundo]] Retreat.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cantomundo.org/|title=Home {{!}} CantoMundo|website=www.cantomundo.org|access-date=2019-02-04}}</ref>
In 2019, she was faculty at the [[CantoMundo]] Retreat.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cantomundo.org/|title=Home {{!}} CantoMundo|website=www.cantomundo.org|access-date=2019-02-04}}</ref>

In 2021, her book ''Postcolonial Love Poem'' won the [[Pulitzer Prize for Poetry]]. It was called "a collection of tender, heart-wrenching and defiant poems that explore what it means to love and be loved in an America beset by conflict."<ref>{{Cite web|title=2021 Pulitzer Prize Winners|url=https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year/2021|access-date=2021-09-22|website=www.pulitzer.org|language=en}}</ref> The book was also a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award, a finalist for the 2020 Los Angeles Times Book Prize, a finalist for the 2020 Forward Prize for Best Collection, and shortlisted for the 2020 T. S. Eliot Prize.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=The 2021 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Poetry|url=https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/natalie-diaz|access-date=2021-09-22|website=www.pulitzer.org|language=en}}</ref>


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
Diaz currently lives in [[Mohave Valley, Arizona]] where she used to work on language revitalization at [[Fort Mojave]], her home reservation. She worked with the last Elder speakers of the Mojave language.<ref name="Copper Canyon Press"/> She is enrolled as member of the Gila Indian Community.<ref name="flyway.org"/>
Diaz currently lives in [[Mohave Valley, Arizona]], where she used to work on language revitalization at [[Fort Mojave Indian Reservation|Fort Mojave]], her home reservation. She worked with the last Elder speakers of the Mojave language. She is enrolled as member of the Gila Indian Community.<ref name="flyway.org"/>


===Poetry===
===Poetry===
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*{{cite book|title=Postcolonial Love Poem|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=diyZDwAAQBAJ|date=3 March 2020|publisher=Graywolf Press|isbn=978-1-64445-014-7}}
*{{cite book|title=Postcolonial Love Poem|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=diyZDwAAQBAJ|date=3 March 2020|publisher=Graywolf Press|isbn=978-1-64445-014-7}}


'''In Anthology'''
'''In anthology'''
* Kurt Schweigman and [[Lucille Lang Day]], eds. (2016). ''Red Indian Road West: Native American Poetry from California''. Scarlet Tanager Books. {{ISBN|978-0976867654}}
* Kurt Schweigman and [[Lucille Lang Day]], eds. (2016). ''Red Indian Road West: Native American Poetry from California''. Scarlet Tanager Books. {{ISBN|978-0976867654}}
*{{cite book|editor=Melissa Tuckey|title=Ghost Fishing: An Eco-Justice Poetry Anthology|date=2018|publisher=University of Georgia Press|isbn=978-0820353159}}
*{{cite book|editor=Melissa Tuckey|title=Ghost Fishing: An Eco-Justice Poetry Anthology|date=2018|publisher=University of Georgia Press|isbn=978-0820353159}}


== Awards and honors ==
== Awards and honors ==
{{awards table}}
* 2021 - Pulitzer
|-

| 2007
Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz (Graywolf Press)
| ''No More Cake Here''<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.odu.edu/news/news-archive/2007/06/LUISAIGLORIANA_4670#.Yk4M8bhMGqA|date=June 2007|title=LUISA IGLORIA, NATALIE DIAZ WIN TOP PRIZES IN NATIONAL LITERARY CONTEST|work=Old Dominion University}}</ref>
⚫
* 2018 – MacArthur Fellowship<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://asunow.asu.edu/20181004-creativity-asu-poet-natalie-diaz-named-macarthur-fellow|title=ASU poet Natalie Diaz wins MacArthur 'genius' grant|date=2018-10-04|website=ASU Now: Access, Excellence, Impact|language=en|access-date=2019-02-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Natalie Diaz |url=https://www.macfound.org/fellows/1007/ |website=MacArthur Foundation |access-date=4 October 2018}}</ref>
|[[Pablo Neruda Ibero-American Poetry Award|Pablo Neruda Prize in Poetry]]
⚫
* 2015 – PEN/Civitella Ranieri Foundation Fellowship<ref>{{cite web |title=Fellows |url=https://civitella.org/fellows/?_sf_s=diaz |website=Civitella Ranieri |access-date=20 February 2019}}</ref>
⚫
|{{Won}}<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.lib.odu.edu/litfest/33rd/diaz.html|title=33rd Annual Literary Festival, Old Dominion University, October 4–8, 2010|website=www.lib.odu.edu|access-date=2016-05-01}}</ref>
⚫
* 2012 – Lannan Literary Fellowship<ref>{{cite web |title=Literary Awards by Year |url=https://lannan.org/literary/awards-and-fellowships/by-year |website=Lannon Foundation |access-date=20 February 2019}}</ref>
|-
⚫
* 2012 – Narrative Prize<ref>{{cite web |title=Narrative Prize |url=https://www.narrativemagazine.com/great-stories/narrative-prize |website=Narrative Magazine |access-date=20 February 2019}}</ref>
| 2007
⚫
* 2007 – Pablo Neruda Prize in Poetry<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.lib.odu.edu/litfest/33rd/diaz.html|title=33rd Annual Literary Festival, Old Dominion University, October 4–8, 2010|website=www.lib.odu.edu|access-date=2016-05-01}}</ref>
| ''The Hooferman''<ref>{{cite news|url=https://thefeministwire.com/2012/10/the-hooferman/|date=October 12, 2012|title=The Hooferman|work=The Feminist Wire}}</ref>
* 2007 – Tobias Wolff Fiction Prize<ref name=":0" />
|Tobias Wolff Fiction Prize
⚫
* Louis Untermeyer Scholarship in Poetry <ref name="poetryfoundation.org">[https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/natalie-diaz] Poetry Foundation</ref>
|{{Won}}<ref name=":0" />
|-
| 2012
| Poetry Fellow
|[[Lannan Literary Awards|Lannan Literary Fellowship]]
⚫
|{{Won}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Literary Awards by Year |url=https://lannan.org/literary/awards-and-fellowships/by-year |website=Lannon Foundation |access-date=20 February 2019}}</ref>
|-
| 2012
| ''Downhill Triolets''
|Narrative Prize
⚫
|{{Won}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Narrative Prize |url=https://www.narrativemagazine.com/great-stories/narrative-prize |website=Narrative Magazine |access-date=20 February 2019}}</ref>
|-
| 2012<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/12278722/bread-loaf-tuition-scholars-2012-natalie-diaz-louis-untermeyer-|date=2012|title=Bread Loaf Tuition Scholars 2012|work=YUMPU News}}</ref>
| Poetry Scholar
|Louis Untermeyer Scholarship in Poetry
⚫
|{{Won}}<ref name="poetryfoundation.org">[https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/natalie-diaz "Natalie Diaz"]. Poetry Foundation.</ref>
|-
| 2015
| Writing Fellow
| [[Civitella Ranieri Foundation|PEN/Civitella Ranieri Foundation Fellowship]]
⚫
| {{Won}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Fellows |url=https://civitella.org/fellows/?_sf_s=diaz |website=Civitella Ranieri |date = 21 August 2018|access-date=20 February 2019}}</ref>
|-
| 2018
| Poetry Fellow
| [[MacArthur Fellows Program|MacArthur Fellowship]]
⚫
|{{Won}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://asunow.asu.edu/20181004-creativity-asu-poet-natalie-diaz-named-macarthur-fellow|title=ASU poet Natalie Diaz wins MacArthur 'genius' grant|publisher=Arizona State University|date=2018-10-04|website=ASU Now: Access, Excellence, Impact|language=en|access-date=2019-02-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Natalie Diaz |url=https://www.macfound.org/fellows/1007/ |website=MacArthur Foundation |access-date=4 October 2018}}</ref>
|-
| 2021
| ''Postcolonial Love Poem''
| [[Pulitzer Prize for Poetry]]
| {{Won}}<ref name=":2" />
|}


==References==
==References==
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[[Category:Native American poets]]
[[Category:Native American poets]]
[[Category:Native American women writers]]
[[Category:Native American women writers]]
[[Category:Old Dominion Lady Monarchs basketball players]]
[[Category:Old Dominion Monarchs women's basketball players]]
[[Category:21st-century Native American women]]
[[Category:21st-century Native American writers]]
[[Category:Native American basketball players]]
[[Category:Poets from California]]
[[Category:Basketball players from California]]
[[Category:People from Needles, California]]
[[Category:Native American sportswomen]]
[[Category:Native American women poets]]
[[Category:Language activists]]

Latest revision as of 00:42, 20 November 2024

Natalie Diaz
Born (1978-09-04) September 4, 1978 (age 46)
Needles, California, U.S.
LanguageMojave; English; Spanish [1]
EducationOld Dominion University (BA, MFA)
GenrePoetry
Notable awardsPulitzer Prize for Poetry 2021

Natalie Diaz (born September 4, 1978)[2] is a Pulitzer Prize-winning[3] Mojave American poet,[4] language activist, former professional basketball player, and educator. She is enrolled in the Gila River Indian Community and identifies as Akimel O'odham.[4] She is currently an Associate Professor at Arizona State University.[5]

Early life

[edit]

Natalie Diaz was born in Needles, California, on September 4. 1978.[6] She grew up in the Fort Mojave Indian Village in Needles, California, on the border of California, Arizona, and Nevada. She attended Old Dominion University, where she played point guard on the women's basketball team, reaching the NCAA Final Four as a freshman and the bracket of sixteen her other three years. She earned a bachelor's degree.[7] After playing professional basketball in Europe and Asia, she returned to Old Dominion University, and completed an MFA in poetry and fiction,[8] in 2006.[9]

Career

[edit]

Her work appeared in Narrative,[10] Poetry magazine,[11] Drunken Boat,[12] Prairie Schooner, Iowa Review, and Crab Orchard Review.

Diaz's debut book of poetry, When My Brother Was an Aztec, "portrays experiences rooted in Native American life with personal and mythic power."[13] It was a 2012 Lannan Literary Selection,[14] was shortlisted for the 2013 PEN/Open Book Award,[15] and was a 2013 American Book Award winner.[16] One important focus of the book is a sister struggling with her brother's addiction to crystal meth.[17]

In 2012, she was interviewed about her poetry and language rehabilitation work on the PBS NewsHour.[18]

In 2018, she was named as the Maxine and Jonathan Marshall Chair in Modern and Contemporary Poetry at Arizona State University.[19]

In 2019, she was faculty at the CantoMundo Retreat.[20]

In 2021, her book Postcolonial Love Poem won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. It was called "a collection of tender, heart-wrenching and defiant poems that explore what it means to love and be loved in an America beset by conflict."[21] The book was also a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award, a finalist for the 2020 Los Angeles Times Book Prize, a finalist for the 2020 Forward Prize for Best Collection, and shortlisted for the 2020 T. S. Eliot Prize.[22]

Personal life

[edit]

Diaz currently lives in Mohave Valley, Arizona, where she used to work on language revitalization at Fort Mojave, her home reservation. She worked with the last Elder speakers of the Mojave language. She is enrolled as member of the Gila Indian Community.[6]

Poetry

[edit]
  • When My Brother Was an Aztec. Copper Canyon Press. October 10, 2013. ISBN 978-1-61932-033-8.
  • Postcolonial Love Poem. Graywolf Press. March 3, 2020. ISBN 978-1-64445-014-7.

In anthology

  • Kurt Schweigman and Lucille Lang Day, eds. (2016). Red Indian Road West: Native American Poetry from California. Scarlet Tanager Books. ISBN 978-0976867654
  • Melissa Tuckey, ed. (2018). Ghost Fishing: An Eco-Justice Poetry Anthology. University of Georgia Press. ISBN 978-0820353159.

Awards and honors

[edit]
Year Nominee / work Award Result
2007 No More Cake Here[23] Pablo Neruda Prize in Poetry Won[24]
2007 The Hooferman[25] Tobias Wolff Fiction Prize Won[24]
2012 Poetry Fellow Lannan Literary Fellowship Won[26]
2012 Downhill Triolets Narrative Prize Won[27]
2012[28] Poetry Scholar Louis Untermeyer Scholarship in Poetry Won[29]
2015 Writing Fellow PEN/Civitella Ranieri Foundation Fellowship Won[30]
2018 Poetry Fellow MacArthur Fellowship Won[31][32]
2021 Postcolonial Love Poem Pulitzer Prize for Poetry Won[22]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Parmar, Sandeep (July 2, 2020). "Natalie Diaz: 'It is an important and dangerous time for language'". The Guardian. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  2. ^ "Natalie Diaz". odusports.com. May 20, 2013. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  3. ^ "Poet Natalie Diaz wins Pulitzer Prize". ASU News. Arizona State University. June 11, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Parmar, Sandeep (July 2, 2020). "Natalie Diaz: 'It is an important and dangerous time for language'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  5. ^ "Natalie Diaz". Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Interview with Natalie Diaz". Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  7. ^ "Natalie Diaz". September 27, 2021.
  8. ^ "Natalie Diaz". The University of Arizona Poetry Center. poetry.arizona.edu. January 28, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  9. ^ "ODU Alum Natalie Diaz's Poetry Gets New York Times Attention". Old Dominion University. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  10. ^ "Natalie Diaz | Narrative Magazine". Narrative Magazine. November 5, 2008. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  11. ^ "Natalie Diaz". www.poetryfoundation.org. Poetry Foundation. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  12. ^ Diaz, Natalie. "Dome Riddle". Drunken Boat. www.drunkenboat.com. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  13. ^ "Fiction Book Review: When My Brother Was an Aztec by Natalie Diaz". PublishersWeekly.com. May 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  14. ^ "Awards and Fellowships: Recent Recipients". Lannan Literary Program. Lannan Foundation. www.lannan.org. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  15. ^ "PEN Open Book Award ($5,000) | PEN American Center". www.pen.org. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  16. ^ When My Brother Was an Aztec by Natalie Diaz
  17. ^ Logue, Heather (November 27, 2012). "Natalie Diaz: Meth, Mistakes & Mischievous Barbies". The Seattle Star. www.seattlestar.net. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  18. ^ "Watch Full Episodes Online of PBS NewsHour on PBS | Conversation: Poet Natalie Diaz". PBS. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  19. ^ "Natalie Diaz appointed Marshall endowed chair in poetry at ASU". ASU Now: Access, Excellence, Impact. October 29, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  20. ^ "Home | CantoMundo". www.cantomundo.org. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  21. ^ "2021 Pulitzer Prize Winners". www.pulitzer.org. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  22. ^ a b "The 2021 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Poetry". www.pulitzer.org. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  23. ^ "LUISA IGLORIA, NATALIE DIAZ WIN TOP PRIZES IN NATIONAL LITERARY CONTEST". Old Dominion University. June 2007.
  24. ^ a b "33rd Annual Literary Festival, Old Dominion University, October 4–8, 2010". www.lib.odu.edu. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  25. ^ "The Hooferman". The Feminist Wire. October 12, 2012.
  26. ^ "Literary Awards by Year". Lannon Foundation. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  27. ^ "Narrative Prize". Narrative Magazine. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  28. ^ "Bread Loaf Tuition Scholars 2012". YUMPU News. 2012.
  29. ^ "Natalie Diaz". Poetry Foundation.
  30. ^ "Fellows". Civitella Ranieri. August 21, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  31. ^ "ASU poet Natalie Diaz wins MacArthur 'genius' grant". ASU Now: Access, Excellence, Impact. Arizona State University. October 4, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  32. ^ "Natalie Diaz". MacArthur Foundation. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Natalie Diaz.
Wikiquote has quotations related to Natalie Diaz.
External videos
video icon Natalie Diaz reads "Ode to the Beloved's Hips" at the 2014 Split This Rock Poetry Festival, March 30, 2014
video icon Poet Natalie Diaz Reads From 'When My Brother Was an Aztec', PBS NewsHour, June 20, 2012
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Natalie_Diaz&oldid=1258487190"