Creative Writing Readings

Discover Edgar Award-nominated author Ramona Emerson (Diné) as she reads from her debut paranormal thriller, Shutter, celebrated as “a perfect blend of thriller, horror, and coming-of-age story” by the Boston Globe. In 2022, Emerson was longlisted for the National Book Award and was interviewed by NPR about her book. Ramona Emerson is a Diné writer and filmmaker originally from Tohatchi, New Mexico. She has a Bachelor in Media Arts from the University of New Mexico and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFACW) from the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). As a police department photographer in Albuquerque, New Mexico, she spent 16 years documenting crime scenes before becoming a novelist. She is an Emmy nominee, a Sundance Native Lab Fellow, a Time-Warner Storyteller Fellow, a Tribeca All-Access Grantee, and a WGBH Producer Fellow.

Emerson will be joined by current MFACW student Andrew Blue Sky, who will read poetry, as well as MFACW Director Deborah Taffa (Quechan Nation, Laguna Pueblo, and Chicana), who will share an excerpt from her forthcoming title, Whiskey Tender, named a most anticipated book of 2024 by Zibby Media.

Emerson will be engaged in an interview and audience Q&A after the reading.

For more information about the event, contact Wayne Nez Gaussoin (Picuris Pueblo and Diné), Museum Educator, at wgaussoin@iaia.edu or (505) 428-5907. For general inquiries, contact Jason S. Ordaz, IAIA Director of Communications, at jason.ordaz@iaia.edu or (505) 424-2348.