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July 2007: Natasha Trethewey

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize

Natasha Trethewey, the Phillis Wheatley Distinguished Chair in Poetry at Emory, recently won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for her collection of poems entitled "Native Guard." This collection of poems, dedicated to her mother, pays homage to the second unit of the Louisiana Native Guards, one the first all-black divisions fighting for the Union during the Civil War. Through these poems Trethewey also reflects on her childhood in Gulfport, Mississippi as the daughter of a black woman and white man at a time when biracial marriages were still considered illegal. To view Trethewey reading from "Native Guard," visit www.southernspaces.org. For information about her next reading at Emory, please see below.

When the list of Pulitzer winners is announced, the news goes out on the wires to all forms of media. Trethewey said she discovered that she was a winner when newspaper reporters started calling Emory looking for her. At the time, Trethewey was teaching class and had her phone turned off so Paula Vitaris, the program coordinator for the department, interrupted her class to tell her that she had won. Upon hearing the announcement, Trethewey said, "I screamed, and then I remember saying, ‘no, you must be lying.’" She then called her husband and her father to share the good news.

Since winning the Pulitzer, Trethewey has been extremely busy with numerous requests for interviews and photo shoots and traveling across the country to give readings from her award-winning poetry collection. "You have a sense that, all of a sudden, your life is changed forever. I don’t think you anticipate how overwhelming it can be," said Trethewey. Aside from buying herself something "fabulous," which has yet to be determined, Trethewey plans to put the prize money towards her next poetry collection, which will continue to explore the theme of biracial unions in different historical moments. This new collection will be based on a "series of paintings made in colonial Mexico that depict mixed race unions in the colony and the children of those unions."

When asked which of the Pulitzer experiences was most memorable, she said that they all have been remarkable for some reason or another, but one of the most exciting moments was returning to her hometown for a special reception organized by the city. At this event, Trethewey was told that the city had created a "Natasha Trethewey Day" and she was also presented with a photograph that an artist had taken of the interior of Fort Massachusetts, the fort where the soldiers of the Native Guard were stationed. Of particular interest to Trethewey was a button off the uniform of one of the Native Guards that had been in the water around the fort.

The Pulitzer Prize is only the most recent honor for this celebrated faculty member whose previous poetry collections, "Domestic Work" and "Bellocq’s Ophelia," have accrued numerous awards. In the fall, Trethewey will assume the role of director of the Creative Writing Program at Emory. Her main goal, so far, is "to keep my head above water." In addition to her new administrative duties, she will continue to research her next collection and teach classes. Trethewey acknowledges the influence that Emory has had on her career by providing her with the resources to travel and to research various archives and libraries for her writing. As far as being a native of and living in the South, Trethewey says, "If it weren’t for the South and her many contradictions, I don’t think I’d be a writer."

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Next Reading

Saturday, Sept. 29, 2007, 1-2 p.m. booksigning, 2-3 p.m. reading, Candler Library, Emory University, free.

Natasha Trethewey gives a reading and signs copies of her books as part of Emory’s Homecoming Weekend Festivities. To view the full schedule of other Homecoming Weekend events online visit: www.alumni.emory.edu/news/homecomingweekend.

Creative Writing Program at Emory University

The undergraduate Creative Writing Program at Emory celebrates its 17th birthday this year. In this program, students can approach the study of literature in a creative way - through their own writing - as well as by the more traditional method of critical analysis and reading.  Students may also pursue their personal interests and investigate specific genres, including poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, playwriting and screenwriting. For more information about the program and to view their events calendar visit: www.creativewriting.emory.edu.

Written by Jessica Moore
Communications Coordinator
Arts at Emory

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