Award winning poet, author, screenwriter and film director Sherman Alexie will receive Washington State University’s highest honor for alumni during activities on Friday, Oct. 10.
The Regents’ Distinguished Alumnus Award presentation will be held at 12:10 p.m. in Bryan Hall Auditorium on the Pullman campus. Afterward, Alexie will read from his latest book, “Ten Little Indians.” The event is free to the public.
The program will be videostreamed live. Those wishing to see it on the Internet should go to https://cougnet.wsu.edu and click on the Sherman Alexie banner for instructions.
At 1 p.m., Alexie will have a book signing in Bryan Hall foyer.
Alexie becomes the 33rd recipient of WSU’s top award for its alumni. Previous winners include broadcaster Edward R. Murrow; Philip Abelson, “Father of the Atomic Submarine,” and his wife, Dr. Neva Martin Abelson, a physician who helped develop the Rh blood factor test; nationally-known sociologists William Julius Wilson and James E. Blackwell; psychologist Laurence J. Peter, author of “The Peter Principle”; astronaut John Fabian; and Paul Allen, cofounder of Microsoft.
Alexie, a Spokane/Coeur d’Alene Indian, grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, Wash. He received his B.A. in American studies from WSU in Pullman in 1994.
Known as a poet and writer, Alexie made his debut as a screenwriter with the script for the movie “Smoke Signals” based on a story from his book “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven.” “The Business of Fancydancing,” available on DVD, marks Alexie’s directorial debut.
Alexie was nominated for the award by the College of Liberal Arts, and nominators included professor and poet Alex Kuo, Alexie’s friend and mentor during his student years at WSU. In nominating Alexie, faculty members detailed not only his achievements, honors and awards, but also the importance of his Native American voice to a broad audience.
