CMarie Named Idaho Writer in Residence
A Western Colorado University instructor has been named Idaho Writer in Residence by the state’s Commission on the Arts.
Poet and non-fiction author, CMarie Fuhrman, was chosen by a panel of out-of-state judges and was selected based on writing samples, professional accomplishments, and audio samples of her reading from her work. Furhman is an instructor in Western’s Graduate Program in Creative Writing (GPCW).
“Furhman is an expert writer with compelling views. Her work draws in the reader, conveying an intimate tone with strong emotional force and challenges us to see narrative structure in new ways,” the review panel said in a statement.
A High Literary Recognition
Idaho’s Writer in Residence is the highest literary recognition accorded an Idaho writer and those selected embody preeminent quality in the literary field. In assuming the title of Writer in Residence, Fuhrman joins literary luminaries such as Diane Raptosh (2013), Anthony Doerr (2007) and Kim Barnes (2004). Fuhrman will receive $10,000 and serve a two-year term, starting July 1, 2021, during which she will give at least four readings annually throughout the state.
“I have been writing in some form for many years, but it wasn’t until after the death of my young husband and the discovery of my biological mother’s Ute tribal identity that my poetry and prose took on greater focus and urgency,” Fuhrman said. “My efforts as a writer are in the tradition of literary storytelling, and my hope is that by sharing my own personal experiences, I can celebrate the beauty of and bear witness to the difficulties of others, especially underrepresented voices, while encouraging heightened self-recognition, education, healing, and protection of the land.”
A Stellar Talent and Caring Educator
“We are thrilled that CMarie Fuhrman, one of the GPCW’s newest faculty members, has been selected as the 2021-2023 Idaho Writer in Residence,” said Tyson Hausdoerffer, GPCW program director. “Just in the few months that she has been working with our Nature Writing and Poetry students, it has become abundantly clear what a stellar talent and caring educator CMarie is. Our program is very fortunate to have such an inspirational author on its faculty, especially one with the deep moral commitments that drive her.”
Fuhrman’s Accolades
CMarie Fuhrman is the author of Camped Beneath the Dam: Poems (Floodgate 2020) and co-editor of Native Voices (Tupelo 2019). She has published poetry and nonfiction in multiple journals including Emergence Magazine, Yellow Medicine Review, Cutthroat a Journal of the Arts, Whitefish Review, Poetry Northwest, Platform Review, as well as several anthologies.
CMarie is a regular columnist for the Inlander, translations editor for Broadsided Press, non-fiction editor for High Desert Journal, and Director of the Elk River Writers Workshop. She teaches nature writing and poetry for the low residency MFA at Western.
Fuhrman resides in the mountains of West Central Idaho with her partner Caleb and their dogs Carhartt and Cisco.
Learn more about CMarie Fuhrman’s work.
Discover Western’s Creative Writing program.
Author Credit: Chris Rourke
Photo Credit: Chad Reich
