Cameron University’s Visiting Writer’s Series continues on Friday, November 11, with novelist and short story writer Oscar Hokeah. The author will read samples of his work starting at 7 p.m. in the McCasland Ballroom of the McMahon Centennial Complex.
Hokeah’s recently released debut novel, “Calling for A Blanket Dance,” tells the story of a young Native American man finding his strength in his familial identity. Told in a series of voices, the novel takes us into the life of Ever Geimausaddle through the multigenerational perspectives of his family as they face myriad obstacles. Publisher’s Weekly called it a “captivating debut … with striking insight into human nature and beautiful prose, this heralds an exciting new voice,” and Ms. Magazine said, “This story is one of love, loss, growth, tradition and evolution. Not to be missed.”
Hokeah is a regionalist Native American writer of literary fiction who is interested in capturing intertribal and multicultural aspects within two tribally specific communities: Tahlequah and Lawton. Of Kiowa, Cherokee and Hispanic descent, his roots in Lawton extended to the Hokeah and Tahsequah families, organizers of the Oklahoma Gourd Dance Club.
He holds an M.A. in English from the University of Oklahoma, with a concentration in Native American Literature. He also holds a B.F.A. in Creative Writing from the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), with a minor in Indigenous Liberal Studies. Hokeah is a recipient of the Truman Capote Scholarship Award through IAIA and a winner of the Native Writer Award through the Taos Summer Writers Conference. His short stories have been published in South Dakota Review, American Short Fiction, Yellow Medicine Review, Surreal South ’09, and Red Ink Magazine. He works with the Indian Child Welfare division of the Cherokee Nation.
The Visiting Writer’s Series is co-sponsored by Cameron University Lectures and Concerts, the Department of Communication, English and Foreign Languages, and Sigma Tau Delta.
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