Eddie Chuculate
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Eddie Chuculate (born 1978) is an American fiction writer who is enrolled in the
Muscogee (Creek) Nation The Muscogee Nation, or Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is a federally recognized Native American tribe based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The nation descends from the historic Muscogee Confederacy, a large group of indigenous peoples of the South ...
and of
Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...
descent. He earned a Wallace Stegner Fellowship in creative writing at
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
. His first book is ''Cheyenne Madonna''. For his short story, ''Galveston Bay, 1826,'' Chuculate was awarded the O. Henry Award. In 2010 ''
World Literature Today ''World Literature Today'' (''WLT'') is an American magazine of international literature and culture, published at the University of Oklahoma. The magazine's stated goal is to publish international essays, poetry, fiction, interviews, and book ...
'' featured Chuculate as the journal's "Emerging Author."


Background

Chuculate was born in
Claremore, Oklahoma Claremore is a city in and the county seat of Rogers County, Oklahoma, Rogers County in northeastern Oklahoma, United States. Its population was 19,580 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, a 5.4% increase over the 18,581 recorded in ...
, in 1978 but grew up primarily in
Muskogee, Oklahoma Muskogee () is the 13th-largest city in Oklahoma and is the county seat of Muskogee County, Oklahoma, Muskogee County. Home to Bacone College, it lies approximately southeast of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Tulsa. The population of the city was 36,878 as of ...
. He worked as a newspaper sports writer for nine years and a copy editor for ten. He later earned a degree in creative writing from the Institute of American Indian Arts and held a two-year Wallace Stegner Fellowship in creative writing at
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
. In 2010 he was admitted to the
Iowa Writers' Workshop The Iowa Writers' Workshop, at the University of Iowa, is a graduate-level creative writing program. At 89 years, it is the oldest writing program offering a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in the United States. Its acceptance rate is between 2 ...
at the
University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...
, where he graduated with a master's degree in 2013.


Career


Author

Chuculate wrote ''Voices at Dawn: New Work from the Institute of American Indian Arts 1995-1996''. His story, ''Yoyo'' was published by '' The Iowa Review'' and it received a Pushcart Prize citation. Chuculate won a PEN / O. Henry Award in 2007 for his story, ''Galveston Bay, 1826.'' In it, four Cheyenne people encounter the ocean for the first time when they travel to the Gulf of Mexico, experiencing a "cataclysmic journey" on their way.
Ursula K. Le Guin Ursula Kroeber Le Guin ( ; Kroeber; October 21, 1929 – January 22, 2018) was an American author. She is best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish universe, and the ''Earthsea'' fantas ...
, a short-story writer and novelist, was one of the jurors and she wrote an essay about her favorite piece. She said Chuculate's story "won me first, and last, by surprising me: every sentence unexpected, yet infallible. On rereading, both qualities remain... The calm, beautiful, unexplaining accuracy of description carries us right through the madness of the final adventure." Chuculate's stories have appeared in ''
Manoa Manoa (, ; ) is a valley on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. It is a residential neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii. The neighborhood is approximately three miles (5 km) east and inland from downtown Honolulu and less than a mile (1600 m) from ...
'', '' Ploughshares'', ''Blue Mesa Review,'' ''Many Mountains Moving'' and ''
The Kenyon Review ''The Kenyon Review'' is a literary magazine based in Gambier, Ohio, home of Kenyon College. ''The Review'' was founded in 1939 by John Crowe Ransom, critic and professor of English at Kenyon College, who served as its editor until 1959. ''T ...
''. In the July / August 2010 edition of ''
World Literature Today ''World Literature Today'' (''WLT'') is an American magazine of international literature and culture, published at the University of Oklahoma. The magazine's stated goal is to publish international essays, poetry, fiction, interviews, and book ...
'', Chuculate was featured as the journal's "Emerging Author." His first book of fiction, ''Cheyenne Madonna'', was published in July 2012. It is about a young Creek/Cherokee man who writes home to his father as he wanders the Southwest. Joy Harjo, a Creek poet, says that it "investigates the broken-heart nation of Indian men. The epicenter of action is the tenuous meeting place between boyhood and manhood, between fierce need and desire." The seven stories follow the life of Jordan Coolwater, who leaves Oklahoma and goes West to pursue a sculpting career, all the while battling the two constants in his life: alcohol and art. The stories also explore history, myth, interracial relationships, racism and father-son relationships. On July 19, 2010,
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
review stated, "Chuculate writes forthright prose in a somber key, examining without judgment the lives of Native American characters. ... Memory and will converge here to powerful effect." "Dear Shorty" from the book is also published in ''Road to Nowhere and Other New Stories from the Southwest''.


Journalist

Chuculate has worked at '' The Tulsa World'', '' The Fort Worth Star-Telegram'', ''
The Denver Post ''The Denver Post'' is a daily newspaper and website published in the Denver metropolitan area. it has an average print circulation of 57,265. In 2016, its website received roughly six million monthly unique visitors generating more than 13 mil ...
'' and '' The Manhattan Mercury''. He is an editor for the ''Trillium Literary Journal''.


Educator

Chuculate is on the faculty of Lighthouse Writers Workshop in Denver.


References


Further reading

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chuculate, Eddie 1972 births Living people 20th-century Native American writers 21st-century American journalists 21st-century Native American writers Bacone College alumni Institute of American Indian Arts alumni Muscogee (Creek) Nation people Muscogee (Creek) Nation people of Cherokee descent Native American journalists O. Henry Award winners Writers from Muskogee, Oklahoma Muscogee writers