Sherman Alexie
Sherman Alexie is a Native American author, poet, performer, and filmmaker. Alexie was raised on Spokane Indian Reservation located in Wellpinit, Washington. When he was born he was hydrocephalic and was not expected to survive but he did though he had seizures as a child as a symptom of the condition. He was a high achiever in high school and got into Spokane's Jesuit Gonzaga University in 1985 he then became an alcoholic and transferred to Washington State University in 1987 where he began writing he accredits this to saving him from alcohol, he never drank after that. He is most notably known for “The Business of Fancydancing (1992), The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven (1993), which won a PEN/Hemingway Award, and Smoke Signals (1998), a critically acclaimed movie based on one of Alexie’s short stories and for which he co-wrote the screenplay. An acclaimed performer of his own work, Alexie held the World Heavyweight Poetry title for four years.” ( poetryfoundation.org...