Gladys Cardiff
American poet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gladys Cardiff (born 1942) is an Eastern Band Cherokee poet and academic, with interests in Native American, African-American and American literature. She was an associate professor at Oakland University from 1999 to 2013.
Gladys Cardiff | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1942 (age 83–84) Browning, Montana, United States |
| Education | University of Washington (MFA), Western Michigan University (PhD) |
| Occupations | Poet, academic |
| Notable work | To Frighten a Storm, A Bare Unpainted Table |
| Father | Henry Owl |
| Awards | Washington State Governor's Award, Louisa Kerns Award |
Early life
Cardiff was born in Browning, Montana.[1][2] Her father was Henry Owl of the Owl clan,[3] who is listed on the Baker Roll as having a Cherokee blood quantum of half, and having a Catawba mother.[4] She is of Irish and Welsh descent on her mother's side. She is a citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.[5] She makes use of her cultural heritage in her work, referencing especially Cherokee place names in her poetry.[6]
She attended the University of Washington, where she studied with Theodore Roethke.[1] She has a PhD in literature from Western Michigan University.[2]
Published works
Cardiff won the 1976 Washington State Governor's Award for her first book of poetry, To Frighten a Storm.[1] She published A Bare Unpainted Table in 1999.[6] She received awards from the Seattle Arts Commission in 1985 and 1986.[1] "In 1988 she was a co-recipient of the University of Washington's Louisa Kerns Award for literary endeavors."[7] Her poetry has been featured by The Poetry Foundation.[8]
