Interview: Jazlynn Martinez, 2025 Carol Shields Prize Foundation Fellowship at the Institute of American Indian Arts Recipient
Founded on October 1, 1962, the Institute of American Indian Arts offers academic excellence to both Native and non-Native populations. The goal of IAIA is empowerment through education, economic self-sufficiency, and expression and enhancement of artistic and cultural traditions.
The Fellowship supports a woman or non-binary BIPOC writer from the U.S. or Canada enrolled in the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Creative Writing program to support their junior and senior years of study. Learn more on our programs page.
“When I received the email that I was selected for the Carol Shields Prize Foundation Fellowship, I took it as a sign that I was doing the right thing. When I first started the program at IAIA, I was worried about how I would pay for tuition....I kept doubting my decision about whether to go through with the program. I am very grateful to have received the Carol Shields Prize Foundation Fellowship, as it kept me from abandoning my passion. It gave me the opportunity to grow as a writer and to discover my voice. ”
We asked Jazlynn Martinez, the 2025 recipient, some questions about their transformative experience. Jazlynn talked about the importance of receiving the Shields Prize fellowship, and how her time at IAIA helped to embrace fully who she is and grow as a writer.
The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction (CSPF): Can you tell us about your time at IAIA?
Jazlynn Martinez: Although I am not on campus all the time, IAIA has helped me grow as a writer in ways I didn’t expect. After every residency, I leave feeling more motivated to write because I know I’m not writing just for myself. I am writing for those who feel unseen or unheard. Since I started the program at IAIA, I have been writing and reading twice as much as before. I am constantly finding new ways to elevate my writing and taking in the feedback I have received. I have been very fortunate to have mentors who helped empower my voice and encouraged me to keep going. When I asked one of my University of New Mexico professors for a recommendation letter for IAIA, he told me IAIA was the place for me, and that my time at UNM had run its course. After some time at IAIA, I realized he was right.
CSPF: What has getting the Carol Shields Prize Foundation Fellowship meant to you?
Jazlynn: When I received the email that I was selected for the Carol Shields Prize Foundation Fellowship, I took it as a sign that I was doing the right thing. When I first started the program at IAIA, I was worried about how I would pay for tuition. I got a job right after graduating from UNM and planned to put every paycheck into my tuition. I kept doubting my decision about whether to go through with the program. I am very grateful to have received the Carol Shields Prize Foundation Fellowship, as it kept me from abandoning my passion. It gave me the opportunity to grow as a writer and to discover my voice.
Jazlynn Martinez at IAIA.
CSPF: What are the major themes or ideas that your work contemplates?
Jazlynn: Growing up, there was hardly any Native representation in movies, shows, or books. This really affected how I saw myself as an Indigenous person. It wasn’t until I took a class called Indigenous Futurisms at UNM that I discovered how Indigenous artists, filmmakers, and writers were creating a space for their art. Identity is a major theme in my work because it is a living entity within tribal communities. Our identity was taken from us in the past, and now we are still trying to find out who we are.
Another idea I use in my work is exploring generational trauma and how to break it. I write about experiencing death and living with loved ones who struggle with their mental health because that’s what I grew up seeing. Mental health is very important to me, and in order to break the cycle, we need to talk about it more.
I’ve noticed that the sense of belonging comes up in my writing. For Indigenous people, we are always thinking about where we belong. Some of us know exactly where we belong, whether it's in our tribe, our family, or on the land. But for some of us, the answer isn’t easy. Some of us live away from our ancestral lands, or are not as close to our families, or are the only Native students in a classroom. Just like identity, this sense of belonging lives with us. I write about this because I want whoever reads my work not to feel alone.
CSPF: What was the importance of getting the Carol Shields Prize fellowship at this point in your career?
Jazlynn: At first, I didn’t know I wanted to become a writer. I only figured it out when I was a junior at UNM, where I started taking creative writing classes. Before I started the program at IAIA, I was really nervous about whether I was doing the right thing. Was I making the right choice? Then, I got more nervous about paying for tuition. Receiving the Carol Shields Prize fellowship was important for me because it gave me hope to keep going. I never would’ve realized how much I enjoy writing and how much potential I have as a writer without the Carol Shields Prize fellowship.
CSPF: What is the importance of supporting women and non-binary writers?
Jazlynn: We need to support women and non-binary writers because the stories they have written or will write will have an impact on the world around us. Young readers will read women’s or non-binary writers’ work and realize that writing doesn’t belong to just one gender. Women and non-binary writers have a story to tell. They share a story that may not have been heard or seen before. By uplifting the voices of women and non-binary writers, we continue to break down barriers and challenge traditional narrative structures.
CSPF: What is the importance of supporting women and non-binary writers?
Jazlynn: As an Indigenous writer, I had to understand that I can’t change who I am, and that my voice may be different from other writers’. Sometimes, writing feels like I am walking through a dark room, and I can’t see where I’m going. But what I’m learning is that it’s okay to feel like this. It’s okay to not have everything figured out. It’s okay to be who you are and to write stories that are meaningful to you and your community. IAIA has given me the space to embrace my voice as a Pueblo writer. My advice for emerging writers is to find your voice and hold on to it through the doubts, the long nights, the big deadlines, or just the daily bumps life throws your way. Everyone has a story to tell. As a writer, artist, or filmmaker, it’s up to us to tell it.
About Jazlynn Martinez:
Jazlynn Martinez is an enrolled member of San Ildefonso Pueblo, one of the eight Northern Pueblos of New Mexico. She graduated from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, NM with a Bachelor of Arts in English Studies and a minor in Film History & Criticism. During her time at UNM, her work has been published by Limina: UNM Nonfiction Review. She is currently a graduate student at the Institute of American Indian Arts, pursuing a Masters in Fine Arts for Creative Writing. Through her writing, she wishes to give a voice to her community and uplift the future generation. Her writing explores identity, generational trauma, and the act of belonging .She enjoys watching baseball games with her family and attending concerts.
