 Nora was Alaska State Writer Laureate from 2012 - 2014.Nora Marks was born May 8, 1927, the first of 16 children of Emma Marks (1913–2006) of Yakutat, Alaska, and Willie Marks (1902–1981), a Tlingit from Hoonah, Alaska.Nora's Tlingit name at birth was Keix̱wnéi.