Book features interviews with novelist Sherman Alexie
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A series of interviews with novelist, screenwriter and comedian Sherman Alexie appear in a new book edited by a Purdue University professor.
"Sherman Alexie is one of the most popular American Indian writers today, and his work is taught in many classrooms around the country," said Nancy J. Peterson, professor of English and editor of "Conversations with Sherman Alexie." "A collection like this is essential with so many readers, fans and scholars who take an interest in his work. He's a complicated writer who still manages humor even as he depicts the devastation in many Native Americans' lives.
"More importantly he attempts to spread encouragement and hope to young people of all backgrounds, as well as an insistence that books and literature are not mere entertainment or luxuries, but essential to survival and understanding."
The articles in this collection were published from 1993 to 2007, and originally appeared in the New Yorker, Los Angeles Times, Publishers Weekly, Guardian, Aboriginal Voices, Biblio, Iowa Review and filmcritic.com.
Alexie, a Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian, was born in 1966 and grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington. He is the author of 17 books, including "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," a National Book Award winner. His books of poetry include "The Business of Fancydancing," "I Would Steal Horses" and "One Stick Song." His short story collections include "The Toughest Indian in the World," and his novels are "Reservation Blues," "Indian Killer" and "Flight." Alexie also is a champion performance poet, in addition to his work as a stand-up comedian and screenwriter.
"Conversations with Sherman Alexie," which is part the well-known "Literary Conversations" series published by the University Press of Mississippi, was released in November. Peterson, whose work is supported by the College of Liberal Arts and who is the interim head of the Department of English, also is working on a book about Alexie.
Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu
Source: Nancy J. Peterson, 765-494-3740, njp@purdue.edu
Note to journalists: Journalists interested in a review copy of the book can contact Clint Kimberling, publicist at the University Press of Mississippi, 601-432-6205, ckimberling@mississippi.edu