Robert J. Conley facts for kids
Robert J. Conley (December 29, 1940 – February 16, 2014) was a talented Cherokee author. He wrote many books about Native American history and culture. In 2007, he received a special award called the Lifetime Achievement Award. This award recognized all his amazing work from the Native Writers' Circle of the Americas.
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About Robert J. Conley
Robert Conley was born in Cushing, Oklahoma, on December 29, 1940. He was a member of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians. This is a group of Cherokee people officially recognized by the United States government. He was known for writing stories about Cherokee figures from long ago and from history.
His Famous Books
Robert Conley wrote a popular series of books called the Real People Series. One book from this series, The Dark Island (1996), won a special prize. It received the Spur Award in 1995 for being the best Western novel. He won two other Spur Awards as well. He won in 1988 for his short story "Yellow Bird". In 1992, he won for his novel Nickajack.
A Leader in Writing
In 2010, Robert Conley made history. He became the first American Indian to lead the Western Writers of America. This important group is based at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina. Robert Conley passed away in Sylva, North Carolina.
Selected Works by Robert J. Conley
- No Need for a Gunfighter, Dorchester. (2008)
- Cherokee Thoughts: Honest and Uncensored, University of Oklahoma Press.
- A Cherokee Encyclopedia, University of New Mexico Press.
- The Cherokee Nation: A History, Univ. New Mexico Pr.
- Cherokee Medicine Man: The Life And Work Of A Modern-day Healer, University of Oklahoma Press.
- Sequoyah, St. Martin's Press.
- The Devil's Trail, St. Martin's Press.
- Medicine War, Signet.
- The Gunfighter, Leisure Press.
- Cherokee Dragon, St. Martin's Press.
- The Dark Island, Bantam Books.
- Mountain Windsong: A Novel of the Trail of Tears, Univ of Oklahoma Press.
- Ned Christie's War, St. Martin's Press.
- The Witch of Goingsnake and Other Stories, Univ of Oklahoma Press.
- Zeke Proctor: Cherokee Outlaw, Pocket Books.
- Nickajack, Bantam Books.
- The Way of the Priests, Bantam Books.
- The White Path (The Real People, Book 3), Bantam Books.
- Rattlesnake Band and Other Poems, Indiana University Press.
