Jennifer Givhan

• Comment: sources need to be about her and not written by her, interviews are not suitable either. Theroadislong (talk) 17:03, 16 November 2018 (UTC)

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Jennifer Givhan

Jennifer Givhan

Jennifer ("Jenn") Givhan is a Mexican-American and Indigenous poet and novelist from the Southwestern United States. She is the author of five full-length poetry collections and three novels and a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship and a PEN/Rosenthal Emerging Voices fellowship. Her novel Trinity Sight won The Southwest Book Award in 2020.

Givhan has received much literary acclaim for her poetry and novels. Literary Hub's senior editor Emily Temple recommended Trinity Sight, which Brando Skyhorse called “a rocket-fueled, indigenous-culture inspired Mad Max . . . [that] drives us through a hellish vision of our country’s future by way of our ancestors’ past.”

Since the release of her first novel, Givhan has been known for blurring genre and creating her own brand of magical realism and mythmaking. Katharine Coldiron of Locus Magazine writes, "Trinity Sight is a mature and deep-thinking book, and a surprisingly subtle and layered work of literature… Watch Givhan carefully: she’s got chops, and a flair for combining unusual genre elements." Library Journal calls Trinity Sight a "magical realist tale" that utilizes Givhan's Southwestern sensibilities and poetic lyricism to craft a story that questions whether "mythology is an apt term to describe indigenous beliefs." Givhan's magical real and surreal work challenges traditional storytelling forms while emphasizing the power of narrative to reclaim identity and reimagine the past, "braiding history with myth." By weaving together science and myth, Givhan challenges readers to reconsider the boundaries of reality and the role of stories in shaping our understanding of the world.

The surreality in her work stems from her eclectic spiritual practice and curiosity about the natural world and the inner workings of the human mind and heart. Her newest poetry collection Belly to the Brutal (Wesleyan University Press) and novel River Woman, River Demon (Blackstone Publishing) both draw from her practice of brujería and curanderismo, which Givhan calls a "cobbling together of traditions from [her] Catholic upbringing, [her] wild Spirit and rebellious nature, and [her] proclivity toward and interest in science, including cosmology and theoretical physics as well as plants and herbs.

Givhan's third novel River Woman, River Demon has sharpened her craft and themes and garnered significant recognition, such as inclusion in Amazon’s Book Club "Sarah Selects," a National Together We Read Library Pick, and a feature on CBS Mornings. Additionally, it received a Silver Medal in the International Latino Book Award’s Rudolfo Anaya Latino-Focused Fiction category and was a finalist for the Spur Award in Western Contemporary Fiction. Critically, The San Diego-Union Tribune referred to Givhan as "a literary sorceress" who "throws poetry, magic, motherhood and misogyny into a cauldron, turns up the genre heat and lets it all boil.”

In addition to her novels and poetry collections, Givhan has published widely, and her work has appeared in The Nation, POETRY Magazine, The New Republic, Salon, The Rumpus, Ploughshares, among many other journals.

Her essay "Quinceañera With Baby Fever" was chosen as one of Salon's Best Life Stories of 2019.

Givhan has taught at the University of Washington Bothell’s MFA program as well as Western New Mexico University and has guest lectured at universities across the country. She is currently the Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at The University of New Mexico.

Personal Life

Givhan grew up on the Mexicali border in the Imperial Valley of Southern California, near the Salton Sea. She often writes about her "borderland identity" but broadens her narratives to resonate with anyone who has inhabited a liminal space between two cultures as Givhan grapples with both historical and personal pain from the past and demonstrates a yearning for a sense of belonging. She addresses "hijas wandering in their own deserts" to inspire and empower the women in the borderlands to and for whom she writes.

The Washington Post says of Givhan's second novel Jubilee that the author “manages to tell a story about Mexicali culture that, by focusing on one young woman’s hope, avoids cultural generalizations and tells, instead, a story of family growth and personal triumph.” Luis Alberto Urrea says of Jubilee, “I never thought I’d see the Great Mexicali Novel. Jennifer Givhan teaches us new things about borders, including the shadowy borders of the mind.” Jubilee earned a starred review from Publisher's Weekly, which compares Givhan's writing style with Sandra Cisneros. Library Journal also draws parallels between Givhan and Cisneros, noting that Givhan's poetic style adds rich lyrical layers to the fast-paced plot.

Givhan recounts her experiences feeling disconnected from her cultural heritage in the literary scene since she was not introduced to many Hispanic or Indigenous voices growing up and attending the public school system in the Imperial Valley. It wasn't until Givhan was a college-aged young adult that she attended a public library reading featuring Sandra Cisneros and Givhan felt "home." Her goal is to inspire other Latina and Indigenous girls and women as well as marginalized individuals to likewise find a sense of kinship, resonance, and inspiration in her work.

She holds an MFA from Warren Wilson College and an MA in English literature from California State University Fullerton. She lives with her family in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Themes

Much of Givhan's poetry focuses on mother-daughter relations, advocating for a broader and more inclusive understanding of motherhood that encompasses diverse caregiving roles. Givhan challenges traditional definitions and emphasizes empathy and intersectionality in her "motherhood poetics." Drawing inspiration from her Mexican heritage and family background, she infuses her work with cultural richness and authenticity. Throughout her poetry and prose, Givhan addresses social issues and amplifies marginalized voices.

Rooted in her experiences growing up in Imperial Valley, her work delves into the complexities of Latina motherhood through the lens of dark fairy tales. Despite the absence of a literary scene in her small hometown during her youth, Givhan's passion for writing was nurtured by her parents and her high school English teacher, who supported her aspirations and encouraged her to pursue writing. She is committed to challenging editorial biases and advocating for the validity of diverse voices in literature. Givhan aims to inspire aspiring writers, particularly those from underserved communities, instilling hope and a sense of community among fellow marginalized writers.

Select Bibliography

• Belly to the Brutal, Wesleyan University Press, 2022. 978-0819580979
• River Woman, River Demon, Blackstone Publishing, 2022. ISBN: 978-1665057509
• Regenerate: Prompts to Unlock Transformation, KDP Publishing, 2021. ISBN: 979-8519331180
• Jubilee, Blackstone Publishing, 2020. ISBN: 978-1538556771
• Trinity Sight, Blackstone Publishing, 2019. ISBN: 978-1538556726
• Rosa’s Einstein, Camino del Sol Poetry Series: University of Arizona Press, 2019. ISBN: 978-0816538034
• Girl with Death Mask, Blue Light Book Prize: Indiana Review Press, 2018. ISBN: 978-0-253-03279-9
• Protection Spell, Miller Williams Poetry Prize Series: University of Arkansas Press, 2017. ISBN: 978-1-68226-028-9
• Landscape with Headless Mama, Pleiades Editors’ Prize: LSU Press, 2016 ISBN: 9780807165416

Awards & Honors

• Silver Medal in the International Latino Book Award’s Rudolfo Anaya Latino-Focused Fiction category, River Woman, River Demon, 2023
• Spur Award Finalist, Western Writers of America, River Woman, River Demon, 2023
• New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards Finalist in Suspense Fiction, River Woman, River Demon, 2022
• Southwest Book Award chosen by Border Regional Library Associations, Trinity Sight, 2021
• Honorable Mention for The Rudolfo Anaya Best Latino Focused Fiction Book Award category from the International Latino Book Awards Foundation, 2021
• New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards Finalist in Literary Fiction, Jubilee, 2021
• New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards Finalist in Fiction Adventure/Drama, New Mexico Historical Fiction, and Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Trinity Sight, 2021
• New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards Finalist in New Mexico Poetry, Rosa’s Einstein, 2021
• Women’s Caucus President, AWP, 2019-2021
• Reading the West Book Award Finalist, Trinity Sight, Midwest Independent Booksellers, 2020
• Pulitzer Prize nomination, Jubilee, Blackstone Press, 2020
• Pulitzer Prize nomination, Trinity Sight, Blackstone Press, 2019
• New Ohio Review Poetry Prize chosen by Tyehimba Jess, 2019
• Joy Harjo Poetry Prize, Cutthroat Journal, 2018
• Blue Light Book Prize chosen by Ross Gay, Indiana University Press: Girl with Death Mask, 2018
• Greg Grummer Poetry Prize chosen by Monica Youn, Phoebe Journal, 2017
• Pleiades Editors’ Prize, LSU Press: Landscape with Headless Mama, 2016
• National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Poetry, 2015
• Best of the Net, “If the Jornada del Muerto* had a windpipe,” 2015
• Lascaux Review Poetry Prize, 2015
• Best New Poets Anthology, “Karaoke Night at the Asylum,” 2015
• The Pinch Literary Award in Poetry chosen by Ada Limón, 2015
• The Frost Place Latinx Scholarship, 2015
• PEN Center/Rosenthal Emerging Voices Fellowship, 2010