Friday, December 12, 2008

Around the Beltway- National Museum of American Indian with Guest Will Grofic

Hey, those of you in the DC area should join me (Kyle) and The Writer's Center tomorrow at the National Museum of the American Indian for Alan Cheuse and Colin Sargent's reading. If you DO join me, I'll have a special treat to give out that involves a discount on upcoming workshops.

I will return with a post on Monday. But for now, here's guest Will Grofic to give this installment of "Around the Beltway."
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The National Museum of American Indian (NMAI) has great lectures on literature, and their Writer’s Series brings Native American writers from around the world to DC (such as National Book Award winner Sherman Alexie). The beautiful building on the National Mall has a great new exhibit, Fritz Scholder: Indian/Not Indian, and they contribute greatly to the literary writing scene with their Writers' Series.

Along with the Writers' Series, the museum also has writers come to talk about books associated with Native Americans. NMAI hosts two writers this weekend in conjunction with The Writer’s Center, Alan Cheuse and Colin Sargent. They are part of NMAI’s Tour, Talks, and Lectures and will be at NMA at 2pm pm Saturday in Rooms 4018-19, Fourth Level.

Alan Cheuse is the “voice of books” for NPR’s All Things Considered and has received great reviews for his new book To Catch the Lightning: A Novel of American Dreaming (Sourcebooks Landmark, October 2008), the life story of Edward Curtis, famed photographer of American Indians. The New York Times Book Review says "[Cheuse] reminds us how close art and chaos really are." Anyone who is a friend of an artist would know that! But it’s good to forewarn those without artist friends. Publisher’s Weekly said, “The narrative brims with keen insight.”

Colin Sargent wrote his first novel about Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, the child of Sacagawea. It is a piece of historical fiction and has received good reviews in Publisher’s Weekly. Colin wears many literary hats, as he is a playwright, poet, and the publisher of Portland Magazine.

About Will Grofic
Will Grofic is the Publications Intern for the Carousel and in the M.F.A program at Bennington. Full disclosure, Will is engaged to a staff member of NMAI, and in no way has that affected his judgment on the museum. Seriously.

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