James Thomas Stevens (born 1966) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

poet and academic. He is a member of the Akwesasne Mohawk NationJame Thomas Stevens.
''Michigan State University Press.'' (retrieved 17 August 2015) and currently teaches at the

Institute of American Indian Arts The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) is a public tribal land-grant college in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The college focuses on Native American art. It operates the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA), which is housed in the historic S ...

in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Background

James Thomas Stevens was born in

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Fall ...

, New York, and his Mohawk name is Aronhió:ta's. His father was a Welsh-American and his mother is

Mohawk Mohawk may refer to: Related to Native Americans * Mohawk people, an indigenous people of North America (Canada and New York) *Mohawk language, the language spoken by the Mohawk people * Mohawk hairstyle, from a hairstyle once thought to have been ...

.Glancy and Nowak, 361

Education

In 1993 Stevens earned his MFA in writing from Brown University Graduate Writing Program, where he had a full fellowship. He earned a Creative Writing AFA from the

, where he received the Gerald Red Elk Scholarship in 1990, allowing him to attend the Naropa Institute Summer Writing Program. Stevens briefly attended the

School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by ...

and Brooklyn College in New York.

Academic and writing career

Stevens was an associate professor in the English Department of SUNY Fredonia and the director of American Indian Studies. He has also been an Instructor of Poetry at Brown University and taught at

Haskell Indian Nations University Haskell Indian Nations University is a public tribal land-grant university in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Founded in 1884 as a residential boarding school for American Indian children, the school has developed into a university operated by t ...

. He is an author of numerous volumes of poetry. An international poet with professional invitations to France, Turkey, and China, Stevens spoke at the IIPF in the United Nations in 2006. He formerly taught at

and remains a vibrant member of the Native community as well as a leading young

American Poet The poets listed below were either born in the United States or else published much of their poetry while living in that country. A B C D E F G H I–J K L M N O P Q * George Quasha (born 1942) R S T U–V ...

Awards and nominations

* 1991

Creative Writing Award * 1993 Kim Ann Arstark Memorial Prize in Poetry * 1993 Wittner-Bynner Foundation Poetry Grant * 1994 City of Santa Fe Writer's Award * 1996 Pushcart Prize Nomination * 2000 Whiting Award * 2003 Nominated for a Before Columbus/American Book Award * 2005 Finalist for the National Poetry Series Award

Published books

* * * * * (with Caroline Sinavaiana) * * *

Notes

References

* Glancy, Diane and Mark Nowak
''Visit Teepee Town: Native Writings After the Detours.''
Coffee House Press.

External links

NativeWiki EntryStevens' profile on the Native American Authors ProjectStevens' profile at Salt PublishingProfile at The Whiting Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, James Thomas 1966 births Living people American male poets Native American academics Brown University alumni Institute of American Indian Arts alumni Institute of American Indian Arts faculty People from Niagara Falls, New York Native American writers 21st-century American poets American people of Welsh descent Brooklyn College alumni 21st-century American male writers