Brandon Hobson is a Cherokee Nation fiction writer primarily known for
literary fiction
Literary fiction, serious fiction, high literature, or artistic literature, and sometimes just literature, encompasses fiction books and writings that are more character-driven rather than plot-driven, that examine the human condition, or that are ...
novels. His novel, ''Where the Dead Sit Talking'' (2018), was a finalist for the
National Book Award for Fiction
The National Book Award for Fiction is one of five annual National Book Awards, which recognize outstanding literary work by United States citizens. Since 1987, the awards have been administered and presented by the National Book Foundation, bu ...
.
Career
Hobson received his
PhD
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
in English from
Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...
and teaches creative writing at
New Mexico State University
New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public, land-grant, research university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1888, it is the state's oldest public institution of higher education, and was the original land-g ...
and at the
Institute of American Indian Arts
The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) is a public tribal land-grant college in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States. The college focuses on Native American art. It operates the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA), which is housed ...
. He is an enrolled citizen of the
Cherokee Nation Tribe.
In 2022, he won a
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...
.
His fiction has won a
Pushcart Prize
The Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize published by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are ...
and has appeared in ''
The Best American Short Stories 2021'' ("Escape from the Dysphesiacs"), ''
McSweeney's
McSweeney's Publishing is an American nonprofit publishing house founded by Dave Eggers in 1998 and headquartered in San Francisco. The executive director is Amanda Uhle.
McSweeney's first publication was the literary journal'' Timothy McSw ...
'', ''
Conjunctions'',
''The Believer'', ''
NOON
Noon (also known as noontime or midday) is 12 o'clock in the daytime. It is written as 12 noon, 12:00 m. (for '' meridiem'', literally 12:00 midday), 12 p.m. (for ''post meridiem'', literally "after midday"), 12 pm, or 12:00 (using a 24-hour cl ...
'', and many other places.
Honors and awards
Literary awards
Other
* 2022
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...
* 2025
American Indian Writers Award
Books
Novels
* ''Deep Ellum'', 2014
* ''Desolation of Avenues Untold'', 2015
* ''Where the Dead Sit Talking'', 2018
* ''The Removed'', 2021
* ''The Devil is a Southpaw'', 2025
Children's books
* ''The Storyteller'', 2023
References
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Place of birth missing (living people)
21st-century American male writers
Cherokee Nation male writers
Cherokee Nation writers
Oklahoma State University alumni
New Mexico State University faculty
Institute of American Indian Arts faculty
21st-century Native American writers
Native American novelists
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