Esther Belin

Esther Belin (born July 2, 1968) is a Diné multimedia artist and writer. She is a graduate of the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, as well as the University of California, Berkeley.

She is the author of a collection of poetry, ''From the Belly of My Beauty'''','' published in 1999 by the University of Arizona Press. The book won the American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation in 2000. Her recent works include ''Of Cartography: Poems (Sun Tracks)'''','' and online poems like, "X+X+X+X-X-X-X." According to a review from ''Library Journal'', "Belin provides graphic descriptions of the 'wounds' one endures remaining true to a 'native lifestyle.'" In an interview with Belin, Jeff Berglund writes, "''For Belin, writing is activism, activism is writing.''" Sherman Alexie considers Belin to be one of his favorite Native writers. As an artist she specializes in mixed media, printmaking, and beading.

Belin was raised in Los Angeles by her Navajo parents who were part of the Federal Indian relocation program of the 1950s and 1960s. Provided by Wikipedia