After Tahlequah resident Oscar Hokeah’s debut novel, “Calling for a Blanket Dance,” hit the cabinets July 26, 2022, the e-book and writer have garnered a number of honors and recognitions.

“Calling for a Blanket Dance” follows the story of Ever Geimausaddle’s life between Tahlequah and Lawton, and the challenges the Kiowa and Cherokee man faces whereas dwelling in Oklahoma. Hokeah mentioned the primary character’s identification mirrors his personal, as he grew up in the identical space and has the identical Native American heritage.

“Similarly, the main character goes through different obstacles in his life, and he has different family members who kind of step in and help guide him to try to help get him on the right path, but ultimately, it’s up to the main character to correct his situation, because as he gets older, he just becomes more and more aggressive, in a similar way a lot of our youth kind of have to deal with historical trauma, poverty, and those kinds of situations,” mentioned Hokeah.

Hokeah mentioned the fictional e-book spans over 30 years and goes by three completely different generations of members of the family. This is proven within the novel by each chapter being narrated by a special member of the family, resembling Ever Geimausaddle’s grandma, uncles, aunts, and siblings. The characters all through the novel are loosely based mostly on household and buddies of Hokeah.

Hokeah at the moment works for the Cherokee Nation within the Indian Child Welfare Department, and he began to get into studying when he was 14 years previous. Since Hokeah was a fan of fantasy and horror books, resembling Stephen King, he at all times wished to jot down a fiction novel.

The course of of making the e-book has taken 14 years. Hokeah mentioned having the e-book out for a 12 months and being talked about in media just like the New York Times has been “a rollercoaster of a ride” and surreal for the writer.

“Calling for a Blanket Dance” has acquired a number of awards and has made it to numerous quick and lengthy lists. The novel not solely received the 2023 PEN American/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel, but additionally the 2023 Reading the West Book Award for Debut Fiction. It was a finalist for the 2023 Aspen Words Literary Prize and the 2023 L.A. Times Book Prize/Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction. The lengthy lists the novel was on embrace the 2023 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award and the 2023 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction.

The e-book does happen in some key areas in Tahlequah, and Hokeah mentioned he was excited to function these themes since he grew up within the space. Some of the long-lasting locations are the Ozark hills, the Illinois River, and the water tower at Sequoyah High School.

“It was nice to be able to capture the essence of Tahlequah, and to capture some of those iconic images we see whenever we’re in town, so you can get a good feel that you are in Tahlequah. Even someone who isn’t from here can get a good sense of what it’s like to be here,” mentioned Hokeah.

He has plans for one more e-book, which remains to be within the works. When it involves Hokeah’s type of writing, he wished to maintain it actual and sincere concerning the expertise Natives have.

“It was important to me to be truthful in depicting those particular scenes, but also to handle that truth with some compassion,” mentioned Hokeah.

Check it out

The paperback version of “Calling for a Blanket Dance” might be launched Tuesday, July 25. Inquire about it at Too Fond of Books or through Amazon.