Natalie Diaz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Natalie Diaz
Born	(1978-09-04) September 4, 1978 (age 46) Needles, California, U.S.
Language	Mojave; English; Spanish
Education	Old Dominion University (BA, MFA)
Genre	Poetry
Notable awards	Pulitzer Prize for Poetry 2021

Natalie Diaz (born September 4, 1978) is an amazing American poet. She has won a Pulitzer Prize, which is a very important award for writers. Natalie is also a Mojave language activist, meaning she works to keep the Mojave language alive. Before becoming a famous poet, she was even a professional basketball player! She is also a teacher. Natalie is part of the Gila River Indian Community and identifies as Akimel O'odham. Today, she teaches at Arizona State University.

Early Life and Education

Natalie Diaz was born in Needles, California, on September 4, 1978. She grew up in the Fort Mojave Indian Village. This village is located in Needles, California, right where California, Arizona, and Nevada meet.

Playing Basketball in College

Natalie went to Old Dominion University. There, she was a star player on the women's basketball team. She played as a point guard. In her first year, her team made it to the NCAA Final Four. This is a huge achievement in college basketball! For her other three years, her team reached the "Sweet Sixteen" round of the tournament. She earned her first college degree from Old Dominion.

Becoming a Poet

After college, Natalie played professional basketball in Europe and Asia. When she finished her basketball career, she returned to Old Dominion University. In 2006, she earned another degree, a Master of Fine Arts (MFA), in poetry and fiction. This is where she really started focusing on her writing.

Natalie Diaz's Writing Career

Natalie Diaz's poems have appeared in many well-known magazines. These include Narrative, Poetry magazine, Drunken Boat, and Iowa Review.

First Book of Poetry

Her first book of poems was called When My Brother Was an Aztec. This book shares stories about Native American life. It uses strong, personal, and mythical ideas. The book was chosen as a Lannan Literary Selection in 2012. It was also a finalist for the 2013 PEN/Open Book Award. In 2013, it won an American Book Award.

Language Work and Teaching

In 2012, Natalie was interviewed on the PBS NewsHour. She talked about her poetry and her important work to help bring back the Mojave language. In 2018, she became a special professor at Arizona State University. She holds the Maxine and Jonathan Marshall Chair in Modern and Contemporary Poetry. In 2019, she was a teacher at the CantoMundo Retreat, which helps Latinx poets.

Winning the Pulitzer Prize

In 2021, Natalie Diaz's book Postcolonial Love Poem won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. This is one of the highest honors a writer can receive! People described the book as a collection of "tender, heart-wrenching and defiant poems." These poems explore what it means to love and be loved in America. The book was also a finalist for several other major awards in 2020. These included the National Book Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.

Personal Life

Natalie Diaz lives in Mohave Valley, Arizona. She used to work on her home reservation, Fort Mojave. There, she helped keep the Mojave language alive. She worked with the last Elder speakers of the language. She is a member of the Gila Indian Community.

Awards and Honors

Natalie Diaz has received many awards for her amazing writing.

See also

In Spanish: Natalie Diaz para niños