Valerie Martínez's award-winning books include Absence, Luminescent, World to World, A Flock of Scarlet Doves, And They Called It Horizon  and This is How It Began. Her most recent book of poetry, 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 chapbook of poetry and prose, A Hundred Little Mouths (2015), was commissioned by the visual artist, Susan Silton, and premiered with The Crowing Hens Whistling Project at the 20th Anniversary Celebration of SITE: Santa Fe. 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, youth, adults and elders in a wide range of community outreach and educational programs.  She is currently the Director of History and Literary Arts at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. Valerie is also Founding Director of Artful Life which works to transform neighborhoods through the beauty and power of collaborative, community art. 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.

Website: www.valeriemartinez.net

Twitter Username: @valmatz

Publications

• A Hundred Little Mouths , The Whistling Project (November 10, 2015)
• Absence, Luminescent (2nd Edition) , Four Way Books (October 15, 2010)
• Each and Her , University of Arizona Press (September 15, 2010)
• And They Called It Horizon , Sunstone Press (February 15, 2010)
• This Is How it Began , Palace Press (January 15, 2010)
• A Flock of Scarlet Doves: Selected Translations of Uruguay's Delmira Agustini , Sutton Hoo Press (July 15, 2005)
• World to World , University of Arizona Press (September 15, 2004)
• Absence, Luminescent (1st Edition) , Four Way Books (October 15, 1999)

Awards

• Arizona Book Award (for Each and Her)(2011)
• PEN International Book Award (Honorable Mention for Each and Her)(2011)
• Greenwall Grant/Academy of American Poets(1999)
• Larry Levis Prize (for Absence, Luminescent)(1999)

Employment

• Assistant Professor at New Mexico Highlands University (August 1996 - May 2000)
• Visiting Assistant Professor at Ursinus College (August 2000 - May 2003)
• Full Professor at College of Santa fe (August 2003 - May 2009)
• Visiting Associate Professor at University of Miami (August 2012 - May 2013)
• Executive Director at Littleglobe, Inc. (June 2009 - July 2012)
• Director & Core Team at Littleglobe, Inc. (June 2013 - December 2015)
• Founding Director at Artful Life (June 2015 - )
• Director of History and Literary Arts at National Hispanic Cultural Center (February 2018 - )

Degrees

• Bachelor of Arts in American Literature from Vassar College (May 1983)
• Master of Fine Arts in Poetry from University of Arizona (December 1989)

Genres of Interest

Poetry