Poet Jennifer Elise Foerster is of German, Dutch, and Mvskoke descent and is a member of the Mvskoke (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma. She earned a BFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts, an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and PhD from the University of Denver. She co-directs For Girls Becoming, an arts mentorship program for Mvskoke youth in Oklahoma and teaches at the Institute of American Indian Arts low-residency MFA program.