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| Graphite, by Hannah Gray |
"POETRY = ANGER x IMAGINATION"
Sherman Alexie
When he was born, no one thought Sherman Alexie would live more than a few months. When he survived, doctors believed he would live with severe mental retardation. Wrong again. No one could have predicted that this hydrocephlic baby would in fact become one of the most notable American writers of our time, and one of the most powerful voices of Indians today.
Sherman Alexie was born on in 1966 as a Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian on a reservation in Wellpinit, Washington. He was born hydrocephalic, a condition that led most doctors to believe he would not survive or would have extensive brain damage. His life proved these diagnosis incorrect, however he suffered from severe seizures throughout his childhood. Despite these major difficulties, Alexie was a passionate learner; he was reading by the age of 3, and was reading novels such as The Grapes of Wrath by the age of 5. As a teenager he wanted a better education than what the reservation could offer, so he chose to attend a high school 20 miles away, off the reservation. At Reardan High, he was the only Indian except for the mascot.
Sherman Alexie graduated as an exceptional student with a scholarship to Gonzago University in Spokane, WA. After two years, he transferred to Washington State University where he found his remarkable talent and love for writing.
Throughout his career, Sherman Alexie has written poetry, novels, short stories and screenplays, and has won countless awards for a variety of his work. Regardless of the medium, Alexie never fails to be brutally honest and remarkably powerful. Much of his material speaks about reservation life. Poverty, alcoholism, diabetes, family, death, and love and constant themes in what Alexie creates, and what he does with them generates an unforgettable impact. He speaks for those who are trapped in vicious cycles of reservation life. He speaks for those who are forgotten and angry. He speaks for those who have no voice, and he demands our attention. This is Sherman Alexie.
