Janice M. Gould, PhD

Janice M. Gould, PhD
April 1, 1949–June 28, 2019

Janice May Gould was 70 years old when she crossed over to the next realm of her journey. She was a member of the Native American Concow (koyoonk’auwi) tribe of Northern California. She spent her formative years in Berkeley, receiving a B.A. in Linguistics and an M.A. in English from UC Berkeley. She was awarded a PhD in English from the University of New Mexico with an emphasis on Native American Literature, and later she earned a Master’s in Library Science from the University of Arizona, with certification in Museum Studies, after interning at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. Dr. Gould served a three-year term as the Hallie Ford Chair in Creative Writing at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, and taught at multiple colleges and universities during her career, concluding as an associate professor in the Women and Ethnic Studies (WEST) program at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.

Dr. Gould was an award-winning poet and scholar, recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Astraea Foundation. She was named the Pikes Peak Poet Laureate for 2014-16, and received a Spirit of the Springs award in 2014. Her writing is included in numerous anthologies and journals. Published books of her poetry include “Beneath My Heart,” "Earthquake Weather,” “Alphabet,” “Doubters and Dreamers,” “The Force of Gratitude,” and “Seed.” She co-edited “Speak to Me Words: Essays on American Indian Poetry,” as was editor of “A Generous Spirit: Selected Works by Beth Brant.”

Janice Gould was also an accomplished musician, an avid birdwatcher, a life-long hiker and folk dancer, and a talented photographer. She was actively involved in Aikido Koshin Shuri, a form of martial art known as “The Art of Peace.” Gould achieved her 2nd don (2nd degree black belt) while training under Sensei Ryan Goettsche in Colorado Springs; she worked with him to establish a children’s Aikido class, a women’s class, and also helped teach adult classes. Janice’s talents and enthusiasm for the arts were incorporated into her teaching and lectures with music, photographic slide shows, and indigenous storytellers embellishing and furthering her sharing of knowledge.

Photo of Janice taken by Margaret Randall.