The Center for Southwest Research, a department of the University of
New Mexico General Library is pleased to announce the opening of the Luci
Tapahonso Papers.
Luci Tapahonso Papers
Luci Tapahonso was born into the Bitter Water and Sour Water clans
of the Navajo tribe. Tapahonso wrote her first short story for an English
class taught by Leslie Marmon Silko at the University of New Mexico. It
was Silko's encouragement that led Tapahonso to pursue a creative writing
major, and to begin sending her material out for publication.
Ms. Tapahonso considers her poetry and writing an extension of her
experience. Her sense of place is derived from her roots in Shiprock,
N.M. Her point of view is that of a Navajo woman in contemporary times,
with an americanized life, but rooted in an "un-american" tradition.
Politics, social issues, racism, and economics are themes that permeate
her writing. Luci Tapahonso's goal in relation to her writing is to keep
Navajo culture intact and dynamic.
The bulk of this collection consists of working papers, drafts, and
typescripts of Tapahonso's poems. There are several manuscripts of poetry
collections, including A Breeze Swept Through and One More Shiprock
Night. Tapahonso's essays, short stories, and plays are also included in
the collection, as well as a small component of class materials,
correspondence, interviews, and event programs.
The collection currently spans Luci Tapahonso's career from the time
she was a student at the University of New Mexico (1976) until 1989. We
have been assured that there will be additions to the collection.
Contact: Beth Silbergleit
(505) 277-0060 or e-mail bsil@unm.edu