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Deborah A. Miranda

デボラ・A・ミランダ

Deborah A. Miranda

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1961-10-22 （Los Angeles, California, United States）
Nationality
American
Languages
English
Residence History
Los Angeles, California (birth) → Lexington, Virginia (faculty at Washington and Lee University)

Career

Occupations
Poet, Writer, Professor of English, Scholar
Active Years
1980-
Affiliations
Washington and Lee University (Professor of English), Ohlone-Costanoan Esselen Nation (non-federally recognized organization)
Memberships
Ohlone-Costanoan Esselen Nation (membership)

Education

Wheelock College
Special Education (focus on moderate special needs)
Degree: B.S.
Country: United States
Focused on teaching moderate special needs children
University of Washington
English
Degree: M.A., Ph.D.
Country: United States
Earned MA and Ph.D. in English

Awards

PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award
2015
Work: Bad Indians: A Tribal Memoir
Organization: PEN Oakland
Result: 受賞
Lenfest Sabbatical Grant
2012
Work: The Hidden Stories of Isabel Meadows and Other California Indian Lacunae (project)
Organization: Washington and Lee University (grant)
Result: 助成

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Bad Indians: A Tribal Memoir

2013 Memoir / Essay / Lyric non-fiction

Interweaves family testimony, archival documents, and personal reflection to examine the histories and legacies of Indigenous peoples in California, particularly the Esselen Nation.

Indigenous historyColonialismFamily historyArchivesIntergenerational trauma

The Zen of La Llorona

2005 Poetry

A poetry collection that connects the La Llorona myth with personal and cultural imagery, addressing loss across multiple cultural backgrounds.

LossFolkloreCultural identity

Indian Cartography

1999 Poetry

A poetry collection exploring Indigenous presence and loss of land through cartographic and geographic imagery.

LandHistoryMemory

Raised By Humans

2015 Poetry

Poems that examine human relationships, family dynamics, upbringing, and identity.

FamilyIdentityUpbringing

Altar to Broken Things

2020 Poetry / Essayistic

A book of poetic prose that circles broken things, healing, and memory, addressing personal and collective wounds.

HealingMemoryTrauma

Bibliography

  • Indian Cartography (1999)
  • The Zen of La Llorona (2005)
  • Bad Indians: A Tribal Memoir (2013)
  • Raised By Humans (2015)
  • Altar to Broken Things (2020)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Genre-bending (memoir, poetry, essay)Lyric essayArchival research combined with personal testimony
Recurring Motifs
Ancestral and family memoryArchival materialsIntergenerational traumaLand and displacementCultural loss

Legacy

Miranda is known for tying California Indigenous histories to personal memory and archival work, and is regarded as an important voice in Indigenous literature and two-spirit writing. As an educator she has influenced both academic communities and general readers.

Quotes

  • She describes herself as the daughter of an Ohlone–Costanoan Esselen Nation man with Santa Ynez Chumash tribal ancestry and an English, French, and Jewish woman from Beverly Hills.
    Source: Wikipedia

Trivia

  • She is identified as a descendant of Mission Indians.
  • Maintains a blog and Twitter account called BAD NDNS.
  • Won the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award in 2015.
  • Served as Professor of English at Washington and Lee University.
  • Spouse: Margo Solod; children: Miranda and Danny.