Indian authors will focus on language, poetry
Wordsmiths slated to participate include Diné (Navajo) writer Sherwin Bitsui, a Tucson resident whose poetry recently earned him a $40,000 prize from the 2006 Whiting Writers' Awards, and Tlingit linguist Nora Marks Dauenhauer of Alaska.
Frances Sjoberg, literary director for the poetry center, said a symposium like this has been an idea two years in the making.
"We started out with five writers in mind and eventually ended up with 11," she said. "Here in Southern Arizona we have such a rich community of indigenous writers. We tried to create a mix of poets. Some write in indigenous languages like Rex Lee Jim. We have poets who incorporate their own language into English and we have diversity in both theme and tribal affiliation. It was hard to choose. There are so many incredible native writers."
Writerfella here --
ReplyDeleteSomehow, Native writing at the behest of Simon Ortiz came to be regarded principally as poetry and poetry alone. As if there were no other forms of Native writing, save for poetry. We all know this is not the case. BUT -- prose writers and film writers (such as writerfella) thus are ignored, which is OK with writerfella but what does his cousin N. Scott Momaday or even the USS Sherman Alexie think of so being ignored? Among over two hundred or so other prose writers? There is a school of Native art that regards and rewards the 'traditional' forms and ignores the more modern forms of Native American art. Is this the same case? Only asking...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
I don't know how they chose the writers involved. Maybe the organizers invited Momaday and Alexie but they were too busy to attend.
ReplyDeleteOr maybe they stuck to writers with major academic credentials. For instance, Laura Tohe has a doctorate in English from the University of Nebraska and an associate professor position at Arizona State University.
Writerfella here --
ReplyDeleteBack in the late 80s, Simon Ortiz began a Native Writers Workshop in Telluride, CO, and writerfella immediately applied. The qualifying documentation? twelve pages of published poetry, which writerfella of course did not have and thus was excluded. He never has forgotten that particular slight, as Simon Ortiz very much himself is accomplished in all other forms of writing but allows no one else credit for working in such fields of endeavor. May all his wisdom teeth have misshapen roots...
All Best
Russ bates
'writerfella'