Marilou Awiakta

Marilou Awiakta is a Native American author of the Cherokee tribe. She was born on January 24, 1936 in Knoxville, Tennessee. She is renowned for writing several books that blend stories, essays and poetry. She graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1958 receiving a B.A. in both English and French. She worked as a civilian liaison officer and translator for the U.S. Air Force at Laon Air Force Base, France from 1964-1967.

[edit] Awards

Jesse Hill Ford Award for Poetry, 1972
Person of Quality Award, National Organization for Women, 1983
United States Information Agency, Abiding Appalachia and Rising Fawn & The Fire Mystery chosen for Global Tour of American Writers, 1986
Woman of Vision Award, Memphis Women of Achievement, 1988
Distinguished Tennessee Writer Award, 1989
Outstanding Contributions to Appalachian Literature, Appalachian Writers' Association, 1991
Audio version of Selu: Seeking the Corn-Mother's Wisdom, with music by Joy Harjo, nominated for a Grammy Award, 1995
Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters, Albion College, Albion, Michigan, 1999
Award for Service to American Indian Peoples, American Indian Symposium, Northeastern University, Oklahoma, 1999
Award for Educational Service to Appalachia, Carson-Newman College, 1999
Appalachian Heritage Writer's Award, Shepherd College, 2000
Excerpt from Selu engraved in the River Wall at Nashville's Bicentennial Capitol Mall
Poem "Motheroot" from Abiding Appalachia selected to be inlaid in the walkway of Fine Arts Mall, UCLA Riverside

Abiding Appalachia: Where Mountain and Atom Meet. Memphis: Saint Luke's Press, 1978. Rpt. Bell Buckle, TN: Iris Press, 1995. 71 pp. Poetry that weaves together Cherokee history, the legend of Little Deer, memories of growing up in Oak Ridge (where the atom was split in the 1940s), and thoughts on family, society, and the land.
Rising Fawn and the Fire Mystery: A Child's Christmas in Memphis, 1833. Memphis: Saint Luke's Press, 1983.
Selu: Seeking the Corn-Mother’s Wisdom. Golden, CO: Fulcrum, 1993. A blend of story, essay, and poetry. Cherokee legends and images from the double weave of Cherokee baskets point us toward preserving a nurturing relationship between humanity and Mother Earth, by instilling appreciation for the earth and applying Native American philosophies to modern problems.

Awiakta's poetry is analysed at length in Our Fire Survives the Storm by Daniel Heath Justice.