ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ City University will host author of βThere Thereβ Tommy Orange as the first speaker in its Student Affairs Speaks series. This first installment, free and open to the public, is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, April 1.
The Student Affairs Speaks series, created by the universityβs Division of Student Affairs, is a collaborative effort with the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes; the universityβs Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and the ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ Center for Interpersonal Studies in Film and Literature. Each speaker will share expertise on a different facet of equity and inclusion, ranging from race and class to gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, and disabilities.
βOur goal is to bring high-profile artists, scholars and experts to share their knowledge and lived experiences with us while engaging in critical conversations,β Director of Student Engagement Dr. Tiffany Smith, a citizen of Cherokee Nation and descendant of Muscogee (Creek) Nation, said. βWe are particularly thrilled to partner with Tommyβs nation to bring him home to engage with our local community and his own tribal community in important conversations about Indigenous identity and historical trauma, sharing the beauty of our diverse tribal cultures through our ways of storytelling and spirituality.β
Orange will present the inaugural discussion βWriting as Resistanceβ to shed light on the trials and tribulations of Native Americans throughout the nationβs history, particularly in urban neighborhoods. A member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes of ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½, Orange attended the Master of Fine Arts program at the Institute of American Indian Arts. His debut novel, βThere There,β was one of The New York Times Book Reviewβs 10 Best Books of the Year and won the Center for Fictionβs First Novel Prize and the Pen/Hemingway Award. The multi-generational story was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
βThe Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes are proud of Tommy Orange,β Cheyenne and Arapaho Governor Reggie Wassana said. βHis book, βThere There,β highlights Indigenous storytelling about tribal citizensβ experience of relocating to urban cities. Orangeβs work is critical and brings awareness to diversity within the culture. Heβs an inspiration to the youth to keep excelling in life, not to quit, and to go after your goals.β
To register for the free event, visit .
