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.

Early life

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Cardiff was born in Browning, Montana.[1][2] Her father was Henry Owl,[3] who is listed on the Baker Roll as having a Cherokee blood quantum of 1/2 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]

Published works

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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]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Niatum, Duane, ed. (1988). Harper's Anthology of 20th-Century Native American Poetry. New York City: Harper & Row. pp. 360–361. ISBN 0062506668.
  2. ^ "Gladys Cardiff". Poetry Foundation. 2022-01-29. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  3. ^ "UNC building renamed for Cherokee trailblazer". Smoky Mountain News. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  4. ^ "Cherokee Rolls: Baker Roll". All Things Cherokee. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  5. ^ "Gladys Cardiff". Poetry Foundation. 2020-03-24. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  6. ^ a b "Cardiff - A Bare Unpainted Table". Western Michigan University. Archived from the original on 2015-04-29. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
  7. ^ "Cardiff, Gladys (Cherokee)". NativeAuthors.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-29. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
  8. ^ "Combing by Gladys Cardiff". The Poetry Foundation. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
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