Tacey Atsitty de Gonzales, new faculty member, brings a passion for writing
Tacey Atsitty de Gonzales had just earned her doctorate in creative writing at Florida State University last spring when she, her husband, and their new dog began to pack for their move north, where she would begin teaching at Beloit College. She says she was drawn to Beloit because of its welcoming environment, beautiful campus, and thriving English department.
Atsitty de Gonzales was born in northern Utah while her father was a student at Utah State University. After graduating, he moved the family back to the Navajo Nation in New Mexico and Arizona. Family has played a large part in Atsitty de Gonzales’ passion for writing. Her mother, an avid journaler, encouraged Atsitty de Gonzales to write as soon as she could pick up a pen. After her mother passed away, when Atsitty de Gonzales was just three years old, her father and grandmother continued to foster her writing.
In high school, she competed in poetry slams, and her love for writing continued to grow. She attended Brigham Young University (BYU) and earned a BA in English with a minor in Native American Studies. After graduating from BYU, Atsitty de Gonzales continued her education at the Institute of American Indian Arts, where she earned a BFA in creative writing. She went on to Cornell University for an MFA in poetry with an American Indian Studies minor, and to Florida State University, where she received a doctorate in creative writing this past spring.
Atsitty de Gonzales is the author of two poetry collections. Rain Scald, published in 2018, focuses on the land and healing, and was written as a means of processing and healing from experiences throughout her life. The poems in her second book, (At) Wrist, are meditations on the different types of love humans give and receive. (At) Wrist, published in 2023, received the Brittingham Prize for Poetry. Atsitty de Gonzales is also the recipient of the Truman Capote Creative Writing Fellowship, the Louis Owens Award, and the Corson-Browning Poetry Prize, among others.
While completing her doctorate, she heard about Beloit College and the job opportunity from Kimberly Blaeser, the college’s 2024 Mackey Chair, a former Wisconsin Poet Laureate, and faculty member at the Institute of American Indian Arts.
Atsitty de Gonzales is now living in Rockford, Illinois, and adjusting to the Midwest. She’s excited to work with students who share her passion for writing.
