Faculty Feature: Valerie Martinez

Valerie Martínez is a poet, translator, teacher, playwright, librettist, and collaborative artist. Her books include Absence, Luminescent, World to World, A Flock of Scarlet Doves, Each and Her, And They Called It Horizon and This is How It Began. Her most recent book, Each and Her (winner of the 2012 Arizona Book Award), was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the PEN Open Book Award, the William Carlos William Award, and the Ron Ridenhour Prize. Her work has been widely published in journals, magazines, anthologies and media outlets including The Best American Poetry, the Washington Post, and the Poetry Foundation’s Poetry Everywhere series. Valerie has more than twenty years of experience as a teacher, primarily at the college level. For over fifteen years, she has also worked with children, young adults, adults, teachers, and seniors in a wide range of community outreach and educational programs. She is Executive Director of Littleglobe, Inc., a non-profit collaborative of artists who work in community. Valerie has a B.A. from Vassar College and an MFA from the University of Arizona. She was the Poet Laureate of Santa Fe, New Mexico for 2008-2010. Learn more about Valerie at her website: www.valeriemartinez.net

At the 15th annual Taos Summer Writers' Conference, Valerie will be teaching a weekend workshop called "Why Write: Living the Writing Life Regardless of Publication, Recognition, Money and Fame."

"I can't express my gratitude to Valerie enough for assisting me with "picking the bones clean." She was an invaluable asset in whittling down the manuscript to its essence--and reminding me that my work was "certainly" deserving. I am eternally grateful for the experience." - Raquel Flowers Rivera