Welcome to the Poetics and Politics 2011 website.
“Poetics and Politics” celebrates the 20th anniversary of the American Indian Studies Program at the University of Arizona.
During Spring 2011, Professor Luci Tapahonso and Professor Larry Evers taught a special graduate seminar titled “Poetics and Politics” for the American Indian Studies Program and the Department of English. The seminar was linked to a series of public readings by five leading contemporary American Indian writers: Ofelia Zepeda, Luci Tapahonso, Frances Washburn, Leslie Marmon Silko, and Gerald Vizenor. All the readings were held at the University of Arizona Poetry Center and were free and open to the public. Videos of the readings are included on this web site. The readings were co-sponsored by American Indian Studies and the Department of English, with support from the University Poetry Center and the Office of the President. In addition, each of the five writers met with the seminar to talk about the ways in which their own poetics and politics shape their work as writers. These discussions were not recorded.
Graduate students in the seminar were organized into teams and prepared the accompanying materials for each author included on this site: Rei Asaba, Matthew Cleland, and Sherrie Stewart (“Team Zepeda”); Derwin Begay, Khara Ellasante, and April Petillo (“Team Tapahonso”); Gina Richard and Matthew Tafola (“Team Washburn”); Jessica Burstrem, Shyla Joe, and Carol Latour (“Team Silko”); and Pamela Campbell, Aresta La Russo, and Howard Fitzgerald Swift Hawk Smith (“Team Vizenor”). Gavin Healey provided administrative support. We hope you find this site useful and enjoyable.