Award-winning American Indian poet, short story writer and novelist Sherman Alexie is an enrolled member of the Spokane tribe who grew up on the reservation about 50 miles from Spokane, Washington. Though he first attracted attention for his poetry, he earned increasing praise and interest from the film industry for his prose, but he rejected offers from producers who wanted to cast dark-skinned whites, choosing to wait for an Indian to come forward who would share his vision for a film. NYU-trained director Chris Eyre, a Cheyenne-Arapaho, contacted Alexie through a mutual friend after
Born and raised in the Spokane Indian Reservation (about 50 miles from Spokane, WA); hydrocephalic at birth, underwent a brain operation at the age of six months
1989
Gave up liquor at age 23 after spending much of college in an alcoholic stupor ("One of those Indians upholding the stereotype"); has not had a drink since (date approximate)
1991
Found a publisher in NYC, Hanging Loose Press, which brought out "The Business of Fancydancing", a book of poetry
1993
Published award-winning collection of stories, "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven"
1995
Together with American Indian director Chris Eyre, began developing material at the Sundance Filmmakers and Screenwriters Lab, resulting in the short, "Somebody Kept Saying Powwow", culled from the second act of the longer script that would become "Smoke Signals"
