Debra Magpie Earling facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Debra Magpie Earling
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| Born | August 3, 1957 Spokane, Washington |
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| Alma mater | University of Washington ; MA in English, MFA in Fiction Writing, Cornell University |
| Notable awards | Spur Award for Best Novel of the West (2003) |
Debra Cecille Magpie Earling was born on August 3, 1957, in Spokane, Washington. She is a Native American novelist and short story writer. She is a member of the Bitterroot Salish (tribe).
Debra is known for her books like Perma Red and The Lost Journals of Sacajewea. The Lost Journals of Sacajewea was even shown at the Missoula Museum of Art in 2011. Her stories have also appeared in magazines like Ploughshares and the Northeast Indian Quarterly, as well as in many collections of writings.
Contents
Her Journey and Work
Early Career and Education
When she was 18, Debra Earling became the first public defender for the Tribal Justice System. This was on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana.
She studied at the University of Washington. Later, she earned two master's degrees from Cornell University. She received an MA in English in 1991 and an MFA in Fiction Writing in 1992.
Teaching and Writing
Today, Debra Earling is a professor in the English Department at the University of Montana in Missoula. In 2016, she made history by becoming the first Native American director of the university's creative writing program. She teaches classes on fiction writing and Native American Studies.
Her Books
Perma Red
Perma Red was Debra Earling's first novel. It tells a story set on the Flathead Indian Reservation in the 1940s. This book won several important awards, including:
- The Spur Award
- The Medicine Pipe Bearer Award for best first novel from the Western Writers Association
- A WILLA Literary Award
- The American Book Award
A group of filmmakers, including Native American women, are working to turn Perma Red into a TV show. Debra Earling has said, "Native women need to tell their own stories. Now is the time for those stories to rise. Perma Red is only the beginning."
Awards and Recognition
Debra Magpie Earling has received many honors for her writing:
- In January 2019, Perma Red was voted Montana's Best Loved Novel. This was part of "The Great Montana Read" program by Montana PBS and Montana Public Radio.
- She was named a Guggenheim Fellow in 2007.
- She won an American Book Award in 2003.
- She received a WILLA Literary Award in 2003.
- She was given a grant from the NEA in 2006.
