Valerie Martinez

Valerie Martínez (born 1961) is an American poet, teacher, translator, playwright, librettist, editor and collaborative artist. Her most recent book of poetry, Each and Her (winner of the 2011 Arizona Book Award) was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, the William Carlos William Award, the National Book Critics Circle award, and other awards. Her first book of poetry, Absence, Luminescent (Four Way Books 1999 & 2010), won the Larry Levis Prize and a Greenwall Grant from the Academy of American Poets after being a finalist in the Walt Whitman, National Poetry Series, and Intro Award competitions. Her second book, World to World, was published by the University of Arizona Press in 2004. Martinez’s translations of the poetry of Uruguay’s Delmira Agustini (1886-1914), A Flock of Scarlet Doves, was published in special edition by Sutton Hoo Press in 2005 and a collection of Santa Fe poems (written during her tenure as Poet Laureate of Santa Fe), And They Called it Horizon, was published in 2010 (Sunstone Press).

Martinez’s poetry, translations, and essays have appeared widely in literary journals and magazines including American Poetry Review; Parnassus; The Colorado Review; Puerto del Sol; The Notre Dame Review; Mandorla, Tiferet, The Bloomsbury Review, and AGNI. Her work has been included in many anthologies of contemporary poetry including The Best American Poetry; New American Poets--A Breadloaf Anthology; American Poetry--Next Generation, Touching the Fire--Fifteen Poets of Today’s Latino Renaissance and Renaming Ecstasy--Latino Writings on the Sacred. Martínez served as assistant editor of the anthology Reinventing the Enemy’s Language--Contemporary Writing by Native Women of North America (Norton 1997) and an essay about Joy Harjo (along with poems by Harjo and Martínez) appears in the anthology Women Poets on Mentorship: Efforts and Affections (University of Iowa Press, 2008). Valerie’s poem “September, 2001” was featured in the Washington Post’s “Poet’s Choice” Series (September 2009) and an animated version of Valerie’s poem “Bowl,” appears in the Poetry Everywhere Series (PBS/The Poetry Foundation).

From 1987 to 2009, Martinez taught at the University of Arizona, New Mexico Highlands University, Ursinus College and the College of Santa Fe. Since 1997, she has also taught children, young adults, adults, teachers, and seniors in a wide range of community programs. Currently, she is Executive Director and core artist with Littleglobe, an artist-run non-profit that collaborates with communities in creating public works of art, installation, and performance as well as produces smaller scale artist collaborations. Martínez's play, Heart of the Goddess of Corn (a verse drama set in a 15th century Aztec village and contemporary America), had its first staged reading on March 1, 2006 at the Greer Garson Theater in Santa Fe, and was featured in the Southwest Playwrights' Festival in March 2007 in Albuquerque. Martínez was born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She received her B.A. from Vassar College and her M.F.A. from University of Arizona. Valerie Martínez has traveled widely in the U.S. and abroad and currently resides in Albuquerque.

Published Works
Full-Length Poetry Collections
 * Each and Her (University of Arizona Press, 2010)
 * World to World (University of Arizona Press, 2004)
 * Absence, Luminescent (Four Way Books, 1999)

Translations
 * A Flock of Scarlet Doves (Sutton Hoo Press, 2005)

Anthologies Edited
 * Lines and Circles: A Celebration of Santa Fe Families (Sunstone Press, 2010)
 * Ask Me Who I Am: Writing and Art by CYFD Youth (Littleglobe Productions, 2010)

Honors & Awards

 * 2008–2010 Poet Laureate of Sante Fe, New Mexico
 * 1999 Levis Poetry Prize
 * 1998 The Greenwall Fund Grant