World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Tiya Alicia Miles

ティヤ・アリシア・マイルズ

Tiya Alicia Miles

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Cincinnati, Ohio (born and raised) → Berkeley, California (University of California, Berkeley — assistant professor) → Ann Arbor, Michigan (University of Michigan — faculty) → Cambridge, Massachusetts (Harvard University — faculty)

Career

Occupations
Historian, Professor, Nonfiction author, Public historian
Active Years
2000-
Affiliations
University of California, Berkeley, University of Michigan, Harvard University, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
Nominations
2024 Women's Prize for Non-Fiction shortlist (All That She Carried)

Education

Harvard University
Humanities
Degree: A.B.
Period: 1988–1992
Year of Graduation: 1992
Country: United States
Received A.B.
Emory University
History
Degree: M.A.
Period: 1993–1995
Year of Graduation: 1995
Country: United States
Received M.A.
University of Minnesota
History
Degree: Ph.D.
Period: 1996–2000
Year of Graduation: 2000
Country: United States
Received Ph.D.

Awards

Hiett Prize
2007
Organization: Hiett Foundation
Result: winner
Frederick Jackson Turner Award
2006
Organization: Organization of American Historians
Result: winner
Lora Romero Distinguished First Book Award
2006
Work: Ties That Bind
Organization: Association for the Study of American Indian Literatures (ASAIL)
Result: winner
MacArthur Fellowship
2011
Organization: MacArthur Foundation
Result: fellow
Frederick Douglass Book Prize
2018
Work: The Dawn of Detroit
Organization: Gilder Lehrman Center / Yale University
Result: joint winner
National Book Award for Nonfiction
2021
Work: All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake
Category: Nonfiction
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: winner
Ralph Waldo Emerson Award
2022
Work: All That She Carried
Organization: Phi Beta Kappa Society
Result: winner
Cundill History Prize
2022
Work: All That She Carried
Organization: Cundill History Prize (McGill University)
Result: winner
Frederick Douglass Book Prize
2022
Work: All That She Carried
Organization: Gilder Lehrman Center / Yale University
Result: joint winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Ties That Bind: The Story of an Afro-Cherokee Family in Slavery and Freedom

2005 History / Academic

A study of an Afro-Cherokee family's history that illuminates slavery, tribal society, and meanings of freedom in the 19th century.

SlaveryNative American historyFamily history

Crossing Waters, Crossing Worlds: The African Diaspora in Indian Country (edited)

2006 History / Edited volume

An edited collection addressing intersecting histories of African-descended peoples and Native communities.

DiasporaAfro-Native relations

The House on Diamond Hill: A Cherokee Plantation Story

2010 History

Explores plantation life and family dynamics within Cherokee society.

Cherokee historySlaveryLand and labor

Tales from the Haunted South: Dark Tourism and Memories of Slavery from the Civil War Era

2015 History / Cultural studies

Examines memory of slavery in the South through dark tourism and haunted narratives.

MemoryTourismSlavery

The Dawn of Detroit: A Chronicle of Slavery and Freedom in the City of the Straits

2017 History

A detailed study of early Detroit-area history focused on slavery and freedom.

Urban historySlaveryFreedom

All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake

2021 Nonfiction / Narrative history

Uses Ashley's sack, an heirloom kept by a Black family, to trace family history and memories of slavery.

Family memoryPersonal histories of slaveryObjects in history

Wild Girls: How the Outdoors Shaped the Women Who Challenged a Nation

2023 History / Biography

Historical study of how outdoor life influenced American women who challenged national norms.

Women's historyNature and cultureAgency

Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People

2024 Biography / History

A historical account of Harriet Tubman's life and the faith-driven visions of the communities she served.

BiographySlavery and abolitionFaith and vision

Bibliography

  • Ties That Bind: The Story of an Afro-Cherokee Family in Slavery and Freedom (2005)
  • Crossing Waters, Crossing Worlds: The African Diaspora in Indian Country (ed., 2006)
  • The House on Diamond Hill: A Cherokee Plantation Story (2010)
  • Tales from the Haunted South: Dark Tourism and Memories of Slavery from the Civil War Era (2015)
  • The Dawn of Detroit: A Chronicle of Slavery and Freedom in the City of the Straits (2017)
  • All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake (2021)
  • Wild Girls: How the Outdoors Shaped the Women Who Challenged a Nation (2023)
  • Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People (2024)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Scholarly yet narrative nonfictionCombines archival research and oral historiesAccessible academic writing aimed at public audiences
Recurring Motifs
Memory and material objectsIntersections of slavery and freedomIntersection of African American, Native, and women's histories

Legacy

Tiya Miles is recognized for cross-cutting scholarship on African American, Native American, and women's histories. She has received both academic and popular prizes and has had broad influence in public history.

Academic Societies

  • American Historical Association (associated)

Trivia

  • Born in Cincinnati, Ohio.
  • Awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2011.
  • Won the 2021 National Book Award for Nonfiction for All That She Carried.
  • Official website: https://tiyamiles.com/