Contact: Sheryl Hayes
Virginia Foundation for the Humanities
PH: 434-924-6562
Email: sheryl@virginia.edu
April 20, 2010
For Immediate Release
Wood to Speak at United Nations Forum on Indigenous People
Charlottesville, VA-- Karenne Wood, Director of the Virginia Indian Heritage Program at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities (VFH), will speak at a United Nations Forum on the topic “Indigenous Writers on Writing” Wednesday, April 28, 2010, at the United Nations Building, New York, NY.
Wood was invited to participate in a panel devoted to the politics of indigenous literature, at the conference of the Permanent Forum for Indigenous Issues at the United Nations in New York. The UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is an advisory body to the Economic and Social Council, with a mandate to discuss indigenous issues related to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health and human rights. In addition to Wood, the panel will include Al Hunter, an Anishinabe writer whose numerous poetry and prose works focus on indigenous and environmental issues.
Wood, an enrolled member of the Monacan Tribe, is a poet whose works have appeared in such journals as Iris, Orion and Shenandoah. Her first book of poetry, Markings on Earth, won the North American Native Authors First Book Award and was published by the University of Arizona Press in 2001. In 2002 she was selected as Writer of the Year in Poetry by the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers, and she has been a featured Native poet in Indian Country Today. Wood, whose poetry and prose have appeared in numerous anthologies and periodicals, holds an MFA in poetry from George Mason University.
In addition to her writing, Wood is an active teacher and historian. As director of the Indian Heritage program at VFH, she has edited three editions of The Virginia Indian Heritage Trail, led the “Beyond Jamestown” Teachers’ Institute, and curated the “Beyond Jamestown: Virginia Indians Past and Present” exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Natural History.
Woods is teaching courses in Virginia Indian history at Virginia Tech, University of Richmond, and University of Virginia. She has also worked with the Virginia Indian Nations Summit on Higher Education to increase American Indian student enrollment and diversify course content to include American Indian subjects and perspectives.
Wood participated in the revision of Virginia’s Standards of Learning (SOL) in Social Studies, The revised standards are more inclusive of Virginia Indian perspectives, are more correct, and reflect the contributions of Virginia's Native peoples past and present. She has developed teacher resources that are correlated to Standards across all grade levels, and offer culturally appropriate, entertaining activities as well as information on tribal history and Indian ways of life.
Robert Vaughan, President of the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, says, “Karenne’s work with educators at all levels is creating a systemic change in what Virginians know about our native people. The Virginia Indian Heritage Program is telling one of the great untold stories of Virginia’s history—something that is very important to us at the VFH.”
The Virginia Indian Heritage Program is an unparalleled partnership between the state-recognized tribes and the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. Since the program was established in 2007, Wood has been busy dispelling the myths surrounding Virginia’s Native peoples through educational public programs. “We want to create opportunities for Virginians of all ages, as well as visitors to the state, to learn about the history and cultures of Virginian Indian people and communities, past and present,” she explains. “This mission is important, not just for Virginia Indians, but for all Virginians who want a more accurate telling of the Commonwealth’s story.”
The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities is a non-profit educational organization, created in 1974. VFH is a catalyst for the cultural, civic, artistic, and educational vitality of the Commonwealth whose purpose is to understand the past and confront issues in the present, in order to help shape a more promising future. VFH seeks to discover and share untold stories, encourage lifelong learning, and promote civil discourse.
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“Virginia Foundation for the Humanities -- Shaping our Common Story”