Tommy Orange facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tommy Orange
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Orange in 2018 in Texas
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| Born | January 19, 1982 Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Citizenship | Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, United States |
| Education | Institute of American Indian Arts (BS, MFA) |
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Tommy Orange (born January 19, 1982) is an American writer from Oakland, California. He is known for his novels. His first book, There There, came out in 2018. It was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It also won the 2019 American Book Award.
Tommy Orange is a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma. He earned a special degree called a Master of Fine Arts from the Institute of American Indian Arts. He grew up in Oakland, California, and still lives there today.
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Early Life and Interests
Tommy Orange was born in Oakland, California, on January 19, 1982. When he was younger, from age 14 to 24, he played roller hockey at a high level across the country. He also started playing music when he was 18.
Orange's father was a leader in Native American ceremonies. His mother became a Christian for a time. After college, Tommy Orange worked at a bookstore. This job helped him discover his love for reading and writing.
Education and Teaching
Tommy Orange first earned a bachelor's degree in audio engineering. Later, he received his Master of Fine Arts from the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). Today, he teaches writing at the IAIA in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Writing Career
Besides his novels, Tommy Orange has written for magazines. In 2019, he wrote an article for Esquire about a Native American teenager. This article showed what life is like for Native Americans today. He has also published short stories in literary magazines like McSweeney’s and Zoetrope: All-Story.
Orange's second novel, Wandering Stars, was released in 2024. It was featured on the cover of BookPage magazine. In the magazine, Orange wrote about how he got the idea for the novel. He also talked about the process of finishing it. He was worried that people might not like a follow-up to There There. He felt it might seem like he was just trying to make money. However, he had decided to write the sequel before There There became so popular. The title of Wandering Stars was inspired by a 1994 song called "Wandering Star" by the band Portishead.
Inspiration for There There
Tommy Orange has shared that the idea for There There came to him suddenly. He was working at a place that collected stories from people. He realized that the stories of Native Americans living in cities needed to be heard. He especially wanted other urban Natives to see their own experiences in a bigger way.
Orange believes that Native people are often not seen or understood. He wanted to tell a story about a community that many people knew little about. He feels that hearing a story similar to your own can be very powerful. It helps people feel like they exist and belong to a real community. Orange said that feeling out of place makes it harder to be a strong person. His goal was to show more about what it means to be Native.
Awards and Nominations
Tommy Orange has won several important awards for his writing. In 2018, he received the John Leonard Prize. This award is given to an author for their very first book. In 2019, he won the PEN/Hemingway Award. This award is for first-time authors who write full-length fiction books. He also received the American Book Award in 2019 for his excellent writing.
His novel There There was also nominated for other honors. These included the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It was also recognized by the American Library Association as a Notable Book.
In 2024, Wandering Stars was considered for the 2024 Booker Prize.
Personal Life
Tommy Orange lives in Oakland, California. He lives there with his wife, Kateri, and their two sons, Felix and Solomon.
Works
Novels
- There There (Alfred A. Knopf, 2018. ISBN: 978-0525520375)
- Wandering Stars (Alfred A. Knopf, 2024. ISBN: 978-0593318256)
Short Stories
- "Capgras" in Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology (September 19, 2023)
See Also
