Gladys Cardiff

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Gladys Cardiff
Born1942 (age 83–84)
Browning, Montana, United States
Alma materUniversity of Washington (MFA), Western Michigan University (PhD)
OccupationsPoet, academic
Notable workTo Frighten a Storm, A Bare Unpainted Table
FatherHenry Owl
AwardsWashington State Governor's Award, Louisa Kerns Award

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

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]

References

  1. 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. January 29, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  3. "UNC building renamed for Cherokee trailblazer". Smoky Mountain News. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  4. "Cherokee Rolls: Baker Roll". All Things Cherokee. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  5. "Gladys Cardiff". Poetry Foundation. March 24, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  6. "Cardiff - A Bare Unpainted Table". Western Michigan University. Archived from the original on April 29, 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  7. "Cardiff, Gladys (Cherokee)". NativeAuthors.com. Retrieved November 29, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  8. "Combing by Gladys Cardiff". The Poetry Foundation. Retrieved November 29, 2012.