Gladys Cardiff | |
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Born | 1942 (age 82–83) Browning, Montana, United States |
Alma mater | University of Washington (MFA), Western Michigan University (PhD) |
Occupation(s) | Poet, academic |
Notable work | To Frighten a Storm, A Bare Unpainted Table |
Father | Henry Owl |
Awards | Washington 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.
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]
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]