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Native Author Sherman Alexie, Wins NWCA Lifetime Achievement Award
Sherman Alexie (Spokane-Coeur d’Alene) of Seattle, Washington, is the 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award winner from the Native Writers’ Circle of the Americas. Mr. Alexie is a novelist, short story writer, poet, filmmaker, and the author of more than twenty books. He was born on the Spokane Indian Reservation in eastern Washington on October 7, 1966. He first attended Gonzaga University and then transferred to Washington State University, where he received a bachelor’s degree. He was present at the first, historic Returning the Gift Festival held in Norman, Oklahoma. Since that time, in a relatively short literary career, Mr. Alexie has received numerous awards: the O. Henry Award, the Shelley Memorial Award, the PEN/Hemingway Award, and the National Book Award among them. He was also named the 2010 Puterbaugh Fellow of the Puterbaugh Festival sponsored by World Literature Today at the University of Oklahoma. His novels include Reservation Blues (1995), Indian Killer (1996), Flight (2007), and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (2007). In March, Mr. Alexie, along with two past NWCA Lifetime Achievement Award-winners---Robert J. Conley and Jack D. Forbes---were honored during the annual Returning the Gift Conference held by Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers/Native Writers’ Circle of the Americas in Norman and Chickasha, Oklahoma, March 25-27. The winners of the 2008 and 2009 First Book Awards were also honored.
RTG 2010: Still Going Strong After All These Years
This past March, Wordcraft Circle and NWCA held the 18th annual Returning the Gift at the University of Arts and Sciences in Chickasha, Oklahoma. The gathering brought together a number of Native writers and storytellers for three days of writing, telling, performance and fun. As we continue to move forward toward the 20th anniversary of Returning the Gift, it is good to remember the origins of this amazing event. In 1992, an unprecedented gathering of Native American writers and storytellers took place in Norman, Oklahoma. Three hundred professionals, both well known and beginners, came to participate and “Return the Gift.” It was the greatest gathering of Native American writers in history. Featuring professional authors such as Duane Niatum, Simon Oritz, Paula Gunn Allen, and Linda Hogan, and up-and coming writers such as Chris Fleet and Kim Blaeser; the gathering “both demonstrated and validated our literature and our devotion to it, not just to the public, but to ourselves.”
RTG has taken place in many locations over the past two decades from coast to coast and we are looking forward to our 2011 gathering. Stay tuned for further details!
Wordcraft Circle Board of Directors Selects New (Old) National Director
The Board of Directors of Wordcraft Circle is proud to announce the selection of Lee Francis IV as the new National Director of the organization, taking the reins from Dr. Kimberly Roppolo. Mr. Francis served as the interim director after the passing of his father and the founder, Lee Francis III. Mr. Francis is thrilled and humbled to have the opportunity again to help promote Wordraft Circle and take the organization into it's next decade. He also praised Dr. Roppolo for her work as National Director, stating, "Wordcraft would have vanished had it not been for [her] and Mr. Jay Goombi. They kept the fires burning over the past several years and have put us in a great state to move forward." Mr. Francis assumes control of the organization as we approach the 20th anniversary of the founding. "Over the years, Wordcraft has done amazing work connecting Native writers and storytellers and promoting their work throughout the world. It is time we redouble our efforts and ensure that our voices are heard now and forever." You can find our more of what Wordcraft has in store by visiting our Projects Page or checking back with this website regularly!
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