Elizabeth Woody facts for kids

Elizabeth Woody (born in 1959) is an amazing American artist, writer, and teacher. She comes from the Navajo, Warm Springs, Wasco, and Yakama tribes. In 2016, she made history by becoming the first Native American to be named the official poet laureate of Oregon! This means she was chosen to represent poetry for the whole state.

Elizabeth Woody's Early Life

Elizabeth Woody was born in Ganado, Arizona, in 1959. Her family background is very rich in Native American heritage. She belongs to the Tódích'íinii (Bitter Water clan) of the Navajo people.

Her grandmother's family includes the Milee-thlama (People of the Hot Springs) and Wyampum peoples. These names describe their connection to the land and water. Her grandfather's family came from the Chinook tribes along the Columbia River.

Education and Learning

Elizabeth Woody studied at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, from 1980 to 1983. This school is famous for helping Native American artists grow.

Later, she earned a bachelor's degree in humanities from Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. She focused on English during her studies. In 2012, she earned a Master of Public Administration Degree. She got this from Portland State University in Portland, Oregon.

Elizabeth is a founding member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs in Oregon. This group works to support and protect the tribes' culture and land.

Elizabeth Woody's Career

Elizabeth Woody has had a busy career as a writer, artist, and teacher. In 1992, she was invited to a special festival for Native Writers called "Returning the Gift." She was also a featured poet at the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival. Her poems were even included in a well-known literary journal called Ploughshares.

Teaching and Workshops

From 1994 to 1996, Woody taught creative writing at the Institute of American Indian Arts. She has also traveled across the country to teach workshops and mentor young writers.

She has worked with many groups, including:

• The Telluride Native Writer's Forum
• Northwest Wordcraft Circle
• Southwest Native American High School Students
• Young Writer's Conference and Performance
• Grey Hills Academy Diné Fine Arts and Drama Festival
• Flight of the Mind Writing Workshops for Women

Art Exhibitions

As an artist, Elizabeth Woody has shown her work in many places. Her art has been displayed in exhibitions both in her region and across the country.

She was part of a big art event called the Pacific Rim Gathering. This led to a traveling art show called "Within the Circle of the Rim: Nations Gathering on Common Ground." She also showed her art in exhibitions like "Submuloc Wohs/Columbus Show." Another show was "For the Seventh Generation: Native American Artists Counter the Quincentenary." Both of these art shows traveled to different cities.

In Oregon, Elizabeth helped start the Northwest Native American Writers Association. She also learned traditional basket weaving as an apprentice. She learned from a master weaver named Margaret Jim-Pennah.

Leadership and Advisory Roles

Elizabeth Woody has served on many important boards and councils. She was on the board of Soapstone, Inc., a retreat for women writers. She also helped start the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation. This foundation supports Native American artists.

She advised on a conference called "Indigenous Ways of Knowing." This conference focused on traditional Native American knowledge. She also helped with a study for a national Native American arts and culture fund. In 2005, she joined a committee for the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians. She also advises the Evergreen State College Native Arts Council. This council hosts a Native American Arts Fair.

Environmental and Community Work

In 2012, Elizabeth finished her Master of Public Administration Program. She focused on environmental policy and managing natural resources. She used to be the Director of the Indigenous Leadership Program at Ecotrust. This group works on environmental issues.

After many years there, she worked as a K-12 Program Coordinator. This was at the National Science Foundation's Center for Coastal Margin Observation and Prediction. Today, she works as a program officer at the Meyer Memorial Trust in Portland, Oregon.

Awards and Recognition

Elizabeth Woody has received many awards for her amazing work.

• In 1990, she won an American Book Award for her book Hand into Stone. This book was later republished as Seven Hands Seven Hearts.
• In 1993, she received a special fellowship called the Medicine Pathways for the Future Fellowship.
• She won the William Stafford Memorial Award for Poetry.
• In 1995, her book Luminaries of the Humble was a finalist for the Oregon Book Awards.
• She received a Brandywine Visiting Artist Fellowship in 1986.
• In 1997, she was given a J.T. Stewart Award and Fellowship from Hedgebrook. This is a special place for women writers.
• In May 1997, she had a residency in San Francisco, California.
• In April 2016, the Governor of Oregon named her the official Poet Laureate for two years.

Books by Elizabeth Woody

Poetry Books

• Luminaries of the Humble, published by University of Arizona Press.
• Seven Hands Seven Hearts, published by Eighth Mountain Press.
• Hand into Stone: Poems, published by Contact II Publications.
• Old Shirts & New Skins: Elizabeth illustrated this book of poems by Sherman Alexie.

Stories and Essays in Collections

Elizabeth Woody's writing has been included in many different books, called anthologies. These books bring together works from many authors. Some of these include:

• Renewing Salmon Nation's Food Traditions (2006)
• River of Memory: The Everlasting Columbia
• A Song to the Creator: Traditional Arts of Native American Women of the Plateau
• Oregon Salmon: Essay on the State of the Fish at the Turn of the Millennium (2001)
• Salmon Nation (1999)
• When the Rain Sings: Poems by Young Native Americans
• Dreaming the Dawn: Conversations With Native Artists and Activists
• First Fish, First People: Salmon Tales of the North Pacific
• Speaking for the Generations: Native Writers on Writing
• Intimate Nature: The Bond Between Women and Animals
• Earth, Wind, and Fire: Harry Fonseca
• Native American Art in the Twentieth Century: Makers, Meanings, Histories
• The Writer's Journal: 40 Contemporary Authors and Their Journals
• Reinventing the Enemy's Language: Contemporary Native Women's Writing of North America
• Durable Breath: Contemporary Native American Poetry
• A Gathering of Spirit: A Collection by North American Indian Women
• Home Places: Contemporary Native American Writing from Sun Tracks
• Dancing on the Rim of the World : An Anthology of Contemporary Northwest Native American Writing
• Returning the Gift: Poetry and Prose from the First North American Native Writers' Festival
• The World begins Here: Oregon Short Fiction
• Varieties of Hope: An Anthology of Oregon Prose
• From Here We Speak: An Anthology of Oregon Poetry
• The Stories We Tell: An Anthology of Oregon Folk Literature
• A Circle of Nations: Voices and Visions of American Indians
• We, the human beings: 27 contemporary native American artists
• Talking Leaves: Contemporary Native American Short Stories
• The Clouds Threw This Light
• Songs from This Earth on Turtle's Back: An Anthology of Poetry by American Indian Writers

Interviews and Critical Essays

Elizabeth Woody's work has also been discussed in interviews and essays:

• The Nature of Native American Poetry by Norma C. Wilson
• Here First by Brian Swann and Arnold Krupat
• "Contrary Iconography" by Jackson Rushing in New Art Examiner
• "The Earth is Richer for this Voice", an interview by Kim Caldwell in Raven's Chronicles

Biographical Information

You can find more about Elizabeth Woody in these books:

• Notable Native Americans
• The Biographical Directory of Native American Painters
• St. James Guide to Native North American Artists
• Contemporary Authors: A Bio-Bibliographical Guide to Current Writers in Fiction, General Nonfiction, Poetry, Journalism, Drama, Motion Pictures, Television

Videos

• Salmon: Why Bother?, from Sea Grant
• Faithful to Continuance, from Mimbres Fever Productions

Work Published in Other Languages

Elizabeth Woody's work has been translated so people in other countries can read it:

• Les Cahiers- de poesie recontre, 25 special, La poesie Amerindienne, published in France.
• Elenco Racconti Raccolta Scrittrici Indianoamericane, published in Italy.