Native Writers' Circle of the Americas

The Native Writers' Circle of the Americas (NWCA) is an organization of Native American writers, most notable for its literary awards, presented annually to Native American writers in three categories: First Book of Poetry, First Book of Prose, and Lifetime Achievement. The awards are voted upon by Native American writers, making it one of the few literary awards presented to Native Americans by Native Americans.[1]

The Circle (along with its sister organization, the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers) was formed as the outgrowth of the 1992 "Returning the Gift" Native Writers' Festival, a gathering of Native American writers from Canada, the United States, Mexico and the Central America.[2] The NWCA maintains contact information for Native American writers and a collection of Native American literature.[3] The organization has been hosted by the University of Oklahoma's department of Native American Studies and is currently housed in OU's Department of English.

Lifetime Achievement Awards

The Native Writers' Circle of the Americas awarded the following Native authors with Lifetime Achievement Awards:

First Book Awards for Prose
  • 1992 Robert L. Perea (Oglala Lakota), Stacey's Story
    • Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel (Mohegan), The Lasting of the Mohegans
    • William S. Yellow Robe, Jr. (Assiniboine), The Star Quilter (play, published in Where the Pavement Ends)
  • 1993 Philip H. Red Eagle (Sioux-Klallam), Red Earth
  • 1994 Gus Palmer, Jr. (Kiowa), Calling Through the Creek
  • 1995 Glenn J. Twist (Cherokee-Muscogee Creek), Boston Mountain Tales
  • 1996 No award.
  • 1997 Robert J. Perry (Chickasaw), Life With the Little People
  • 1998 No award.
  • 1999 Evelina Zuni Lucero (Isleta Pueblo-Ohkay Owingeh), Night Sky, Morning Star
  • 2000 Chip Livingston (Florida Creek), Naming Ceremony
  • 2001 Valerie Red-Horse (Cherokee descent), Naturally Native
  • 2002 Edythe S. Hobson (Arkansas Quapaw), An Inquest Every Sunday
  • 2003 Susan Supernaw (Muscogee Creek-Munsee), The Power of a Name
  • 2004 Kimberly G. Roppolo (Mixed Southeastern American Indian ancestry), Back to the Blanket: Reading, Writing, and Resistance for American Indian Literary Critics
  • 2005 Mia Heavener (Central Yup'ik), Tundra Berries
  • 2006 Judy R. Smith (Quinnipiac-Mohican), Yellowbird
    • Frederick White (Haida), Welcome to the City of Rainbows
  • 2007 Mary Lockwood (Malemuit Iñupiaq), Attugu Summa/Come and See What It Is
  • 2008 Linda LeGarde Grover (Chippewa, Bois Forte Band of Minnesota), "The Road Back to Sweetgrass"
  • 2009 JudyLee Oliva (Chickasaw), Te Ata and Other Plays

First Book Awards for Poetry

See also

References
  1. Gilbar, Steven (2005). Bibliotopia, Or, Mr. Gilbar's Book of Books & Catch-all of Literary Facts & Curiosities. David R. Godine. p. 103. ISBN 9781567922950.
  2. Womack, Craig S., ed. (2008). Reasoning Together: The Native Critics Collective. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 49. ISBN 9780806138879.
  3. Wong, Hertha D. Sweet; Muller, Lauren Stuart; Magdaleno, Jana Sequoya, eds. (2008). Reckonings: Contemporary Short Fiction by Native American Women. Oxford University Press. p. xxii. ISBN 9780198026907.
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