northSun's gritty, realistic poems about life both on and off the reservation have made her one of the most widely read of all Native American poets.

northSun was born in 1951 in Schurz, Nevada to a Shoshone mother and a Chippewa father, Native American activist Adam Fortunate Eagle.

[2] northSun uses colloquial "Reservation English," irony, and humor to explore themes of alienation, disenfranchisement, anger, loss, and brutalization.

[1] In 2000, the "Friends of the Library" group at the University of Nevada honored her with the Silver Pen Award for outstanding literary achievement.

[4] Governor Kenny Guinn appointed her to the Nevada State Arts Council that same year.