There are a couple of Native voices I really think we should pay attention to. One is my friend Tim Tingle. Tim is a Choctaw writer who’s just begun publishing novels. He started as a storyteller, and I kept prodding Tim saying come on, Tim, write it down, write it down, write it down. And finally he wrote down the Choctaw Road book. And then he wrote down his Bok Chitto book, Crossing Bok Chitto, which is a picture book. And now he’s begun writing a series of novels. Tim is a very talented author and I think deserves attention.
Another person who is better-known but not as widely known as she should be is Cynthia Leitich Smith. And her blog, Cynsations, is something everybody should turn to. And Cyn has written on not just things about Native people such as Indian Shoes or Rain Is Not My Indian Name, but also vampire, werewolf, sci‑fi kinds of novels, which are quite popular. And again, there’s breaking the mold, which I think Native people should feel free to do.
Of course everyone knows Sherman Alexie. I hope to God they do. And of course everyone knows Louise Erdrich, but her sister, Hyde, is also a very accomplished writer writing for young people. Now, that’s just a few names. I don’t want to overwhelm you. But there are many more coming, and you’ll hear many more of them in the years to come.