UAS to host Native North American author and storyteller Dr. Thomas King, October 13-14

Events include classroom visits, readings, an Egan Library reception, and an Evening at Egan Lecture followed by a Gathering of the Drums at the Noyes Pavilion.

Juneau, Alaska

Date of Press Release: October 10, 2011

The University of Alaska Southeast is honored to host Native North American author and story teller Dr. Thomas King at the Auke Lake campus October 13-14, 2011. Events include classroom visits, readings, an Egan Library reception, and an Evening at Egan Lecture followed by a Gathering of the Drums at the Noyes Pavilion.

King is the author of the 2011 One Campus, One Book selection, The Truth About Stories.  This is the second year the UAS campus is encouraging students, staff and faculty to read the same book in an effort to encourage communication and community. Copies of the book are available at the Egan Library and the UAS Bookstore. All students attending Fall New Student Orientation received a copy of King’s book.

King’s Evening at Egan presentation will consider the historical past of Indians in North America and ask the question, how does the past differ from the present and what might the present suggest about a Native future?  In particular, Happy Trails looks at Indian land and considers the importance of controlling a secure communal land base now and in the future.

"I first discovered Dr. King in a course at the University of Minnesota on the English language. Out of all the texts we read, King's novel Green Grass, Running Water seemed to present the most challenges," said UAS Assistant Professor of Native Languages Xh'unei - Lance A. Twitchell. "It was probably right then that I decided to pursue a life as a writer, a storyteller, a philosopher, and a teacher of sorts. Sometimes, a book can change the course of  your life, and Thomas King's book did exactly that for me. I am excited to meet him and talk craft, stories, identity, theory, culture loss/appropriation, and the role of the storyteller today. What a fantastic time to be on campus."

Thomas King is the author of Medicine River; Green Grass, Running Water; Truth and Bright Water; and a collection of short stories, One Good Story, That One. In 2003 Thomas King was the first Native North American to deliver Canada’s Prestigious Massey Lectures. The Truth About Stories won one of Canada’s highest literary honors, the Trillium Award, in the same year. He is professor of English at the University of Guelph.

Thomas King UAS Visit Events:

• Thursday Oct 13th 4-5pm Reception in Egan Library
• Friday Oct 14th 11:30-12:30am Literary Reading in Egan Lecture Hall
• Friday Oct 14th 7:00pm Evening at Egan, Egan Library
• Friday Oct 14th 9:00pm  Gathering of the Drums, Noyes Pavilion (includes fry bread and hot chocolate!)