On October 24, 1939, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Paula Gunn Allen was born from a Lebanese father and a Laguna Pueblo and Scottish mother (“Paula Gunn Allen: 1939-2008”). Before adopting her maternal grandmother's name (Gunn) along with her husband's last name, she was known as Paula Marie Francis (“Paula Gunn Allen”). Her childhood was spent growing up in New Mexico on the Laguna Pueblo reservation (“Paula Gunn Allen”). Gunn Allen died on May 9, 2008 (“Paula Gunn Allen: 1939-2008”).

Paula Gunn Allen first attended college at Colorado Women's College before leaving to raise a family (“Paula Gunn Allen”). After receiving her Bachelor's in English literature and her Master's in Fine Arts in creative writing at the University of Oregon, Gunn Allen received her PhD from the University of New Mexico (“Paula Gunn Allen;” “Paula Gunn Allen: 1939-2008”). Gunn Allen taught Native American studies at a number of universities such as the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque and San Diego State University (“Paula Gunn Allen”).

The majority of Paula Gunn Allen's work involved Native American literature along with poetics (“Paula Gunn Allen: 1939-2008”). Gunn Allen advocated for Native American literature to be included in American literature as indigenous works were often excluded (“Paula Gunn Allen').

The Blind Lion (Poetry) (1974)

Shadow Country (Poetry) (1982)

Studies in American Indian Literature (Scholarship) (1983)

The Woman Who Owned the Shadows (Historical Nonfiction) (1983)

The Sacred Hoop: Recovering the Feminine in American Indian Traditions (Scholarship) (1986)

“Paula Gunn Allen: 1939-2008.” Poets. org, https://poets.org/poet/paula-gunn-allen.

The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica Article History.”Paula Gunn Allen.“ Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Paula-Gunn-Allen.