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Natalie Diaz

ナタリー・ディアス

Natalie Diaz

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1978-09-04 （Needles, California, U.S.）
Nationality
United States
Languages
Mojave, English, Spanish
Residence History
Fort Mojave Indian Village (Needles, California) → Mohave Valley, Arizona → Enrolled member, Gila River Indian Community

Career

Occupations
poet, language activist, former professional basketball player, educator
Active Years
2000-
Affiliations
Arizona State University (associate professor / Marshall Chair)
Memberships
CantoMundo (faculty/participant)
Nominations
Postcolonial Love Poem — finalist for the 2020 National Book Award, Finalist for the 2020 Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Finalist for the 2020 Forward Prize for Best Collection, Shortlisted for the 2020 T. S. Eliot Prize

Education

Old Dominion University
Degree: BA
Country: United States
Played point guard on the women's basketball team during undergraduate studies
Old Dominion University (MFA)
Poetry and Fiction
Degree: MFA
Year of Graduation: 2006
Country: United States
Completed an MFA in poetry and fiction in 2006

Awards

Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
2021
Work: Postcolonial Love Poem
Organization: Pulitzer Prize Board
Result: Won
MacArthur Fellowship
2018
Organization: MacArthur Foundation
Result: Won
Lannan Literary Fellowship
2012
Organization: Lannan Foundation
Result: Won
American Book Award
2013
Work: When My Brother Was an Aztec
Organization: Before Columbus Foundation
Result: Won
Narrative Prize
2012
Work: Downhill Triolets
Organization: Narrative Magazine
Result: Won
Pablo Neruda Prize in Poetry
2007
Work: No More Cake Here
Organization: Old Dominion University (related prize)
Result: Won
Tobias Wolff Fiction Prize
2007
Work: The Hooferman
Organization: Old Dominion University (related prize)
Result: Won
PEN/Civitella Ranieri Foundation Fellowship
2015
Organization: PEN/Civitella Ranieri
Result: Won
Louis Untermeyer Scholarship in Poetry
2012
Organization: Bread Loaf (scholarship)
Result: Won

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

When My Brother Was an Aztec

2013 Poetry

A poetry collection rooted in Native American life, portraying personal and mythic experiences. Includes poems addressing a sibling's addiction and family struggles.

Native identityfamilyaddictionculture and memory

Postcolonial Love Poem

2020 Poetry

A collection of poems exploring love, loss, corporeality, and the effects of colonialism. Noted for its tender, defiant voice that resists erasure.

lovepostcolonial critiquecorporealitylanguage revitalization

Bibliography

  • When My Brother Was an Aztec (poetry collection)
  • Postcolonial Love Poem (poetry collection)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
visceral, sensory languageblend of narrative and personal confessionexperimental incorporation of Indigenous voices
Recurring Motifs
land and belongingfamily memorylanguage loss and revitalization

Legacy

Natalie Diaz is an influential contemporary American poet, widely recognized through awards such as the Pulitzer Prize and MacArthur Fellowship. She has contributed to Mojave language revitalization and raised visibility for Native American culture and language.

Academic Societies

  • CantoMundo (associated)

Quotes

  • Postcolonial Love Poem is a collection of tender, heart‑wrenching and defiant poems that explore what it means to love and be loved in an America beset by conflict.
    Source: Pulitzer.org (award citation) (2021)

Trivia

  • Enrolled in the Gila River Indian Community and identifies as Akimel O'odham.
  • Played professional basketball in Europe and Asia before focusing on writing.
  • Worked on Mojave language revitalization with elder speakers at Fort Mojave.
  • Appointed Marshall Chair in Modern and Contemporary Poetry at Arizona State University in 2018.