Jessica Tyner Mehta, PhD, is an Aniyunwiya interdisciplinary poet and artist. A native of the occupied land of Oregon and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, space, place, and de-colonization are the driving forces behind her work. She is the author of more than 15 books, including Selected Poems: 2000–2020, winner of the Meadowlark Birdy Prize; When We Talk of Stolen Sisters, winner of three Human Relations Indie Book Awards; and Savagery, winner of the Reader Views Literary Award for “most innovative poetry collection” and winner of the Book Excellence Award in poetry). Mehta has received several writing residencies pivotal in supporting her writing career, such as the Hosking Houses Trust residency with an appointment at The Shakespeare Birthplace (Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK) and the Acequia Madre House post in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Mehta is also a visual, installation, and performance artist. Her installation The Red C[h]airn Project debuted during her tenure as the Native American visual artist-in-residence at Ucross. Her series Red/Act was exhibited around the globe. The performance series emBODY poetry was featured in Washington, D.C., and Oregon.

Mehta's doctoral research addressed the intersection of eating disorders and female poetry from the Victorian period through the mid-20th century. Her post-doctoral research examined the language used in public art calls for Native artists, and her Fulbright Nehru Senior Scholar award in Bengaluru, India, allowed her to curate an anthology of contemporary Indian poetry.