Sherman Alexie October 7, 1966 - Present

GENERAL born October 7, 1966 in Spokane Washington Was one of six children Grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation

PERSONAL LIFE Grew up in a large household with 5 siblings relatively poor His father was an alcoholic and often absent As a child he suffered from seizures due to complications during his birth so he read a lot For high school he moved off the reservation to obtain a better education He was a honor student and became class president

PERSONAL LIFE He then graduated from Washington State University He is married to Diane Tomhave and has two sons His work is heavily influenced by his Native American background Struggled with alcoholism which became a recurring theme in some of his pieces

PROFESSIONAL LIFE His first publication was I would steal horses(1992) The same year he made The Business of fancydancing which was a combination of prose and poetry He wrote prolifically completing two more poetry books in 1993 He wrote his first novel Reservation Blues in 1995 He continues to write a lot publishing every couple of years

PROFESSIONAL LIFE (some of his work) The Business of Fancy Dancing - Stories and Poems (1992) Old Shirts and New Skins (1993) First Indian on the Moon (1993) Seven Mourning Songs For the Cedar Flute I Have Yet to Learn to Play (1994) Water Flowing Home (1996) The Summer of Black Widows (1996) The Man Who Loves Salmon (1998) One Stick Song (2000) Face (2009)

HIS WORK His works primarily cover themes like poverty, racism, alcoholism, etc. which were common issues in Native American society Was light hearted in his works and often implemented humor in his works Later in his career he wrote and directed movies such as Business of Fancydancing

HIS WORK Alexie followed the Indigenous Nationalism movement with his work Commented on commonplace issues in Native American life

Bibliography "Sherman Alexie." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 09 Aug. 2016. <https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/sherman- alexie>. "Sherman Alexie". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2016. Web. 09 Aug. 2016 <https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sherman-Alexie>. Campbell, Duncan. "Profile: Sherman Alexie." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 03 Jan. 2003. Web. 09 Aug. 2016. <https://www.theguardian.com/books/2003/jan/04/artsfeatures.fiction>.