Eddie Chuculate facts for kids

Eddie Chuculate (born 1978) is an American writer. He is a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and also has Cherokee family. He is known for his short stories and his first book, Cheyenne Madonna.

Eddie Chuculate received a special writing scholarship called the Wallace Stegner Fellowship. This allowed him to study creative writing at Stanford University. He also won the O. Henry Award for his short story, Galveston Bay, 1826. In 2010, a magazine called World Literature Today recognized him as an "Emerging Author."

About Eddie Chuculate's Life

Eddie Chuculate was born in Claremore, Oklahoma, in 1978. He mostly grew up in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Before becoming a full-time writer, he worked for newspapers. He spent nine years as a sports writer. He also worked for ten years as a copy editor.

He later went to the Institute of American Indian Arts. There, he earned a degree in creative writing. After that, he received the Wallace Stegner Fellowship. This was a two-year program at Stanford University. In 2010, he joined the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa. He finished his master's degree there in 2013.

Eddie Chuculate's Writing Career

Becoming a Published Author

Eddie Chuculate has written many stories. One of his early works was for a book called Voices at Dawn: New Work from the Institute of American Indian Arts 1995-1996.

His story, Yoyo, was printed in The Iowa Review. This story also received a special mention from the Pushcart Prize.

In 2007, Chuculate won the PEN / O. Henry Award. He won it for his story, Galveston Bay, 1826. This story is about four Cheyenne people. They see the ocean for the first time on a big journey. A famous writer named Ursula K. Le Guin was a judge for the award. She wrote that Chuculate's story was surprising and perfect. She said the descriptions were "calm, beautiful, unexplaining accuracy."

Chuculate's stories have been in many other magazines. Some of these include Manoa, Ploughshares, and The Kenyon Review. In 2010, World Literature Today magazine called him an "Emerging Author." This means he was a new and promising writer.

His first book of stories, Cheyenne Madonna, came out in 2012. The book is about a young man who is Creek and Cherokee. He travels around the Southwest and writes letters to his father. The stories in the book follow a character named Jordan Coolwater. He leaves Oklahoma to become a sculptor. His journey explores art and other challenges in his life. The stories also look at history, myths, and family relationships.

A review from Publishers Weekly said Chuculate writes in a clear and thoughtful way. They noted that he explores the lives of Native American characters. The review said his writing brings together memories and determination.

One story from the book, "Dear Shorty," also appeared in another collection. That collection was called Road to Nowhere and Other New Stories from the Southwest.

Working as a Journalist

Before focusing on fiction, Eddie Chuculate worked as a journalist. He wrote for several newspapers. These include The Tulsa World, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and The Denver Post. He is also an editor for the Trillium Literary Journal.

Teaching Writing

Eddie Chuculate also shares his knowledge with others. He is a teacher at the Lighthouse Writers Workshop in Denver.