Pulitzer Prize finalist and best-selling author Tommy Orange gave a presentation on Jan. 29 at Campbell Hall, where he discussed his life experiences and novels. 

Pulitzer finalist Tommy Orange is known for his novels There There and Wandering Stars. Courtesy Of Penguin Press

Orange is known for his novels “There There” and “Wandering Stars,” which are works of contemporary literature that focus on the urban Native American experience. From being a roller hockey player, musician and author, Orange recapped his life experiences which led him to become a writer.

Orange is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma and grew up in Oakland, California. He was raised by a white mother and Native American father in a deeply religious household, following the Evangelical Church’s teachings alongside his sisters.

“Pretty reticent about a lot,” Orange said about his father, “but encouraged me to play sports, and that’s what I did. Eventually after trying all the different sports, I found roller hockey.” He recalled getting sponsored and traveling to play in different parts of the United States. However, he pivoted away from roller hockey in the early 2000s, choosing to focus on college instead.

In 2004, Orange graduated from Expression College with a degree in sound engineering. After college he worked two jobs: part time at the Native American Health Center and at a used book store. He recalls his time at the bookstore fondly because “That was when I started reading fiction for the first time.”

Orange was aware that literature, specifically novels, were lacking a Native American perspective. While getting his Master of Fine Arts from the Institute of American Indian Arts, Orange said he had a professor state, “Native American literature was doomed.” 

At that point, Orange had already started working on his novel, “There There.” 

Orange explained how the idea came to him, as he headed down to Los Angeles with his pregnant wife and friend. 

“I knew I wanted to write a bunch of different characters, and I knew you would find out how they were connected by the end of the book.” 

His second novel, “Wandering Stars,” was inspired by a trip he had in Sweden, where he viewed objects of Cheyenne origin in a museum. He learned history regarding the Cheyenne people, who were enslaved in Florida. Later, while looking at the names of those enslaved, he saw someone named Bear Shield. Orange had previously written a character with the name Bear Shield in “There There.” 

The coincidence was an emotional experience, as Orange expressed. 

“I think I started crying when I saw the name,” he said. 

It took six years for Orange to finish each of his novels, and over that time expressed how he gained valuable insight on writing.  

“Along the way, make friends with doubt,” Orange said. “Believe how [your writing] will surprise you.”

He then went on to share parts of his upcoming third novel. In an excerpt, the main character Ben North talks about his family, dog and information surrounding the Roman Empire.

The end of the event was opened up to a Q&A where several people asked Orange questions. One of the questions asked if Orange felt connected to any of the characters he wrote. He expressed Thomas Frank in “There There” was mostly based on himself.

“My first name is Thomas, and my middle name is Frank. So I was sort of admitting that there’s a lot happening with that character that’s [relating to] me.”