Traci Sorell is an Indigenous author of fiction and nonfiction works for children and teens. She is an enrolled citizen of the

Cherokee Nation The Cherokee Nation ( or ) is the largest of three list of federally recognized tribes, federally recognized tribes of Cherokees in the United States. It includes people descended from members of the Cherokee Nation (1794–1907), Old Cheroke ...

Personal lifestyle

Sorell has spent much of her life living within the

tribe's reservation in northeastern

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

and currently resides with her family by

Fort Gibson Lake The Fort Gibson Dam is a gravity dam on the Grand (Neosho) River in Oklahoma, north of the town of Fort Gibson. The dam forms Fort Gibson Lake. The primary purposes of the dam and lake are flood control and hydroelectric power production, altho ...

. Her mother's family has lived in the area since 1838 when

Cherokee people 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 ...

were removed from their homelands. She has a younger brother and sister. As a child, Sorell learned about her ancestors from her grandmother, fishing with her family, and caring for animals and the land. She also enjoyed reading, singing, and performing in theater productions. When Sorell was a teenager, she and her family moved to Southern California, and she became the first person in her family to graduate from college. Her mother, sister, and brother later received degrees as well. Sorell's second language is Spanish, though she is learning the

Cherokee language file:Cherokee Speakers by County, 2000.png, 350px, Number of speakers file:Lang Status 20-CR.svg, Cherokee is classified as Critically Endangered by UNESCO's ''Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger'' Cherokee or Tsalagi (, ) is an endangere ...

Education

Sorell majored in

Native American Studies Native American studies (also known as American Indian, Indigenous American, Aboriginal, Native, or First Nations studies) is an interdisciplinary academic field that examines the history, culture, politics, issues, spirituality, sociology and co ...

and minored in

Ethnic Studies Ethnic studies, in the United States, is the interdisciplinary study of difference—chiefly race, ethnicity, and nation, but also sexuality, gender, and other such markings—and power, as expressed by the state, by civil society, and by indivi ...

at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

graduating with a Bachelor Arts in 1994. During her time at Cal-Berkeley, Sorell lived in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

and taught English and Spanish to children and adults. In 1996, she received a Master of Arts from the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

, where she studied American Indian Studies with a concentration in Federal Indian Law & Policy. Later, Sorell returned to school and received a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree from the

University of Wisconsin Law School The University of Wisconsin Law School is the Law school in the United States, law school of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, a Public university, public research university in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded in 1868, the school is guided by a ...

in 2001.

Career

Sorell began her career by helping Native Nations and their citizens by writing "legal codes, testimony for Congressional hearings, federal budget requests, grants and reports." Since beginning her writing career, Sorell has continued to focus on incorporating culturally accurate books about Cherokee and other Indigenous people into the canon of literature for children and young adults. Sorell was a Tulsa Artist Fellow in 2021 and 2022.

Awards and honors

Seven of Sorell's books are

Junior Library Guild Junior Library Guild, formerly the Junior Literary Guild, is a commercial Book sales club, book club devoted to juvenile literature. It was created in 1929 as one of the enterprises of the Literary Guild, an adult book club created in 1927 by Samue ...

selections, including ''Powwow Day'', ''We Are Still Here!'', ''We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga'', and ''Classified''.

Publications

Ages 4+

*''We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga'', illustrated by Frané Lessac (2018) *'' At the Mountain's Base'' / ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᎤᎾᎢ ᎡᎳᏗᏢ ᎣᏓᎸᎢ, ᎾᎢ, illustrated by Weshoyot Alvitre (2019) *''Pow Wow Day'', illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight (2022) *''Being Home'', illustrated by

Michaela Goade Michaela Goade (born 1989 or 1990) is a Native American illustrator. A member of the Tlingit and Haida tribes, she is known for her work on picture books about Indigenous people. She won the 2021 Caldecott Medal for her illustrations in '' We Are ...

(2024) *''Clack, Clack! Smack! A Cherokee Stickball Story'', illustrated by Joseph Erb (2024)

Ages 7+

*''Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer'', illustrated by Natasha Donovan (2021) *''One Land, Many Nations: Volume 1'' with Lee Francis IV, illustrated by Jesse Hummingbird (2021) *''We Are Still Here! Native American Truths Everyone Should Know'', illustrated by Frané Lessac (2021)

Middle grade

*''Indian No More'' with Charlene Willing McManis (2019) *''She Persisted: Wilma Mankiller'' with

Chelsea Clinton Chelsea Victoria Clinton (born February 27, 1980) is an American writer. She is the only child of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, a former U.S. Secretary of State and U.S. Senator. Clinton was born in Little Rock, Ar ...

, illustrated by Alexandra Boiger and Gillian Flint (2022) *''Contenders: Two Native Baseball Players, One World Series'', illustrated by Arigon Starr (2023) *''Mascot'' with Charles Waters (2023) *''Riding the Trail: Cherokees Remember the Removal'' with Will Chavez (2026)

Anthology contributions

*''Thanku: Poems of Gratitude'', edited by Miranda Paul, illustrated by Marlena Myles (2019) *''No Voice Too Small: Fourteen Young Americans Making History'', edited by Lindsay H. Metcalf, Keila V. Dawson, and Jeanette Bradley, illustrated by Jeanette Bradley (2020) *''The Reluctant Storyteller'' with Art Coulson, illustrated by Carlin Bear Don't Walk and Roy Boney Jr. (2020) *''The Talk: Conversations About Race, Love & Truth'', edited by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson (2020) *''Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids'', edited by

Cynthia Leitich Smith Cynthia Leitich Smith (born 1967) is a New York Times best-selling author of fiction for children and young adults. A citizen of the Creek people, Muscogee Creek Nation, she writes fiction for children and teens centered on the lives of modern- ...

(2021) *''Wonderful Women of the World'', edited by Laurie Halse Anderson (2021) *''No World Too Big: Young People Fighting for Global Climate Change'', edited by Lindsay H. Metcalf, Keila V. Dawson, and Jeanette Bradley, illustrated by Jeanette Bradley (2023)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sorell, Traci Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century American writers 21st-century American women writers 21st-century Native American women Cherokee Nation women writers Cherokee Nation writers University of California, Berkeley alumni University of Arizona alumni University of Wisconsin Law School alumni English-language writers American children's writers American women children's writers DC Comics people 21st-century Native American writers Carter G. Woodson Book Award winners