Combing the Snakes from His Hair

James Thomas Stevens (born 1966) is an American poet of Akwesasne Mohawk Nation heritage who explores themes of colonization, memory, and intimacy in his free-verse poetry. He earned an AFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts and an MFA from Brown University, and teaches creative writing at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A recipient of the 2000 Whiting Writers' Award and other honors, he is the author of numerous poetry collections including Tokinish (1993), (dis)Orient (2005), and A Bridge Dead in the Water (2007).