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VOL. 14
NO. 7 SEPTEMBER 2014
Seattle’s Own
Sherman Alexie …by Cynthia Flash
A
Life stories. Humor. Emotion. Alexie, like Mary Seattle’s own Sherman Alexie has been called "one of the great storytellers of our time" Poppins, offers the spoon full of sugar to help the He is “one of the great storytellers about finding a new name, and a medicine go down as he weaves his of our time,” KCTS broadcaster book for elementary school-aged tales and lessons. He was born with Enrique Cerna said when introducing readers. When he’s not with his kids hydrocephalus and underwent brain Alexie at the Northwest Kidney or working on a project, he still likes surgery at six months, not expected Centers’ fundraiser. to play a mean game of basketball to live. Even after surviving the Much of Alexie’s writing is with other aging men. operation, doctors predicted he would loosely autobiographical, and very As Alexie watches his own face severe disabilities. He suffered aging process, he focuses on the seizures throughout his childhood, but observational. He wears his emotions death of his father and the aging of he persevered in a big way. He learned on his sleeve and isn’t afraid to open the window on his his mother. His father became an to read by age three and was devouring culture and his orphan when his own father died novels, including John family. during WWII on Okinawa and his Steinbeck’s The Grapes of mother died six months later of Wrath, by age five. Often tuberculosis. His parents ostracized from his peers, His hair - graying all over and met on the reservation he decided as a teenager to sprouting in odd places. His body and remained married attend high school off the shifting, sagging, growing. until his father died in Spokane Indian reservation. “What’s happening to my body 2003 of kidney disease. He had found his mother’s is just hilarious – like the apocalypse His mother, now 75, still name written in a textbook is hilarious,” said Alexie, whose style lives on the reservation mixes humor with humility. “Random at the reservation school and is facing the many and realized that he and his hairs. I have to constantly be ailments that come with old grooming because of the hair - ear hair, classmates were using the same age. materials his mother had used forehead hair, the funniest thing, the “She was very youthful gray nose hair. It’s neon because those 30 years earlier. until very recently and things When he transferred to nostrils are so dark and here comes my e is the xi le A an rm he S have gone quickly,” Alexie Reardan High School near elderly nose hair.” s ent of numerou said of his mother. “It’s not Spokane, he was the only Indian recilitpierary and artistic Alexie, a Spokane/Coeur d’Alene awards that she has major health – other than the school mascot. Indian (a term he prefers over Native issues, but the sheer number But that didn’t slow him down. American), is one of the rare few who A typical day for him is spending of moderate to minor things is Alexie became a school basketball makes a very good living as a writer. 70 percent of his time as a father dramatic. Dad died 11 years ago and star and founded the drama club. “I’m in the one percent and I did it to his boys, ages 12 and 16, and it’s been harder. They were together with books, which is nuts,” he says. He He earned a scholarship to attend the rest of the time on his work. for decades. The combination of Gonzaga University, where he went is turning his focus these days toward “My kids are busy. School. Little losing dad and aging has played the topics of aging and health – both in for two years before transferring League. Music lessons, science stuff, havoc with her health.” to Washington State University. his standup comedy routines and as a experiments. Between them they And even though his father has frequent speaker at local charity events. Although Alexie had originally play the guitar, piano and sax,” been gone for more than a decade, planned to become a doctor, he “My father died 11 years ago of said Alexie, who lives with his wife Alexie recalls fondly the hours he fainted numerous times in human kidney failure on years of dialysis,” he Diane and the kids in Seattle. Father spent at his side while his father told the audience at Northwest Kidney anatomy and instead found himself by day. Writer by night. “That’s underwent dialysis treatment – four drawn to poetry. After earning a BA Centers’ Breakfast of Hope fundraiser hours a day, three days a week. in American Studies he had two of his the good thing about my job. I get in May. “The grief has not abated. It’s them off to school and generally go “Last night I was telling my changed shape. He’s coming back day poetry collections published. back to sleep. I’m a night owl. From son about him and showing him Since then he’s published 24 by day as I look in the mirror.” Alexie 10pm to midnight to 1am I’m doing photographs. I explained to my books, the most recent being a then fiddled with the growing jowl something creative. It might be son that dialysis filters out the under his neck. “I could carry things in collection poems, What I’ve Stolen, watching TV or reading. As the boys impurities,” he said. “You have this What I’ve Earned, in 2013. He often it. My son plays with it. get older and busier there will be less life now because I’ve filtered out the uses the pain he and his family “I’m really starting to look like time for writing. If I want to be a impurities for you so you don’t have endured on the reservation (the him in the shower,” Alexie said of his crappy dad I’d write more.” to. He laughed. I get to say all these res) during his childhood to make father, Sherman Alexie Sr. “I shower Right now he’s working on two poignant points with readers and with my eyes closed now because continued on page 18 novels, a children’s picture book audiences. nobody really needs to see it.”
t age 47, Sherman Alexie may be a bit young to be worried about aging. But the nationally acclaimed poet, author, screenwriter and performer has found himself focused these days on how he’s changing.