About me
M.L. Smoker is Nakoda, Dakota and Lakota, a citizen of the Fort Peck Tribes. She served as Montana poet laureate from 2019-2021 with Melissa Kwasny. She received an MFA from the University of Montana. In 2019 she was recognized as an alumna of the year and received an honorary doctorate in 2023 from the University. Her first collection of poems, Another Attempt at Rescue, was published by Hanging Loose Press in 2005, with a new collection debuting in 2025. She also co authored a children's graphic novel entitled Thunderous (2022). She received a regional Emmy award for her work as a writer/consultant on the PBS documentary Indian Relay. She served as the Director of Indian Education for the state of Montana for ten years, was appointed to the National Advisory Council on Indian Education by President Barack Obama and currently works at the non-profit, Education Northwest, providing guidance and support for Indigenous education efforts around the country.
