Heid E. Erdrich facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Heid E. Erdrich
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Heid E. Erdrich at the 2018 Texas Book Festival
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| Born | November 26, 1963 |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | Turtle Mountain Ojibwe, American |
| Education | Dartmouth College (BA) |
| Alma mater | Johns Hopkins University, master's degrees |
| Relatives | Louise Erdrich (sister) |
Heid E. Erdrich, born on November 26, 1963, is a talented writer. She is a poet and an editor. Heid is a member of the Ojibwe tribe, specifically from the Turtle Mountain Band.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Heid Ellen Erdrich grew up in Wahpeton, North Dakota. She was born in Breckenridge, Minnesota. Heid is one of seven children. Her sisters include Louise Erdrich, a famous Native writer, and Lise Erdrich, also a published author.
Her parents taught at a school for the Turtle Mountain Band. This school was run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Heid's grandfather, Patrick Gourneau, was a tribal leader. He worked to protect his community's rights.
Heid studied at Dartmouth College. She earned a degree in Literature and Creative Writing in 1986. Later, she received two master's degrees from Johns Hopkins University. She also has a PhD in Native American Literature and Writing.
Writing Career
Heid E. Erdrich has written many books of poetry. Some of her well-known poetry collections include National Monuments (2008) and Curator of Ephemera at the New Museum for Archaic Media (2017). Both of these books won the Minnesota Book Award.
She also writes short stories and non-fiction. In 2016, her work "every-blest-thing-seeing-eye" was chosen as the Winter Book by the Minnesota Center for Book Arts.
Video-Poems
More recently, Heid Erdrich has gained attention for her video-poems. These are short films that combine poetry with visuals. She often works with artist Jonathan Thunder on these projects. Her video-poems explore important topics for Indigenous people. Some of her video-poem titles are:
- Od'e Miikan-Heart Line (Moose version)
- It Was Cloudy
- Undead Faerie Goes Great with India Pale Ale
- Lexiconography 1
- Pre-Occupied
- Indigenous Elvis Works the Medicine Line
You can watch some of her video-poems online: Indigenous Elvis and More Video-Poems.
Supporting Other Native Writers
Besides her own writing, Erdrich helps other Native American authors. She is a guest editor for the Yellow Medicine Review. This journal focuses on Indigenous literature and art. She also helped edit a book of writings by Native American women.
In 2018, she published New Poets of Native Nations. This book features Native poets who have published their first books since the year 2000. It was the first major collection of US Native poetry since 1988.
Heid and her sister Louise started The Birchbark House fund. This fund helps support Native writing and language. Erdrich teaches writing at Augsburg University. She also leads Wiigwaas Press. This publisher creates books, films, and other media in the Ojibwe (Anishinaabe) language.
In December 2023, Heid Erdrich was named the first poet laureate for the City of Minneapolis. This is a special honor for a poet.
Museum Work
Heid Erdrich is also a museum curator. This means she helps organize and set up museum exhibitions. She has curated shows in the Twin Cities area and across the country. Currently, she is a guest curator at Amherst College's Mead Museum.
One of her early exhibitions was part of a project called "Greening the Riverfront." This project explored the history of the Minneapolis Riverfront. Erdrich's work helped show the important connection of Ojibwe and Indigenous women artists to the river.
Awards and Teaching
Heid Erdrich has received many awards for her work. These include a National Poetry Series award and two Minnesota Book Awards. She also received a National Fellowship from the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation.
She has taught writing at several universities. These include Johns Hopkins University, the University of St. Thomas, and Augsburg University. She has also taught workshops for Native writers at Turtle Mountain Community College.
Heid Erdrich has received fellowships and awards from many organizations. These include the McKnight Foundation, the Minnesota State Arts Board, and the Bush Foundation.
