Sherman Alexie was born on October 7, 1966 in the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington. He was born with hydrocephalus, which caused him to suffer from seizures throughout his childhood. Alexie made the conscious decision to leave his reservation and attend Reardan High School, where he knew he would receive a better education.
In 1985, Alexie enrolled at Gonzaga University on a scholarship.
In 1987, he transferred to Washington State University after two years to study pre-med. However, fainting spells in anatomy class convinced Alexie to change his major, a decision reinforced by a love of poetry and an aptitude for writing. He fell under the influence of Alexander Kuo. Kuo inspired Alexie to write poetry, and soon after graduating with a bachelors degree in American Studies and shortly thereafter received the Washington State Arts Commission Poetry Fellowship and the National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Fellowship. Alexie published his first collection of poems, The Business of Fancy Dancing.
In 2005, Alexie became a founding Board Member of Longhouse Media, a non-profit organization that is committed to teaching filmmaking skills to Native American youth, and to use media for cultural expression and social change. Mr. Alexie has long supported youth programs and initiatives dedicated to uplifting at-risk Native youth.
As a young man, Alexie struggled with alcoholism but gave up drinking at the age of 23 and has been sober since. Alexie is married to Diane Tomhave. They live in Seattle with their two sons.
Ellen Forney was born March 8,1968 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She has been a professional cartoonist/ illustrator since 1992. She teaches comics at Seattle’s Cornish College of the Arts, paints large-scale acrylic work for solo and group shows, and is an avid swimmer and yoga practitioner. Ellen grew up in Philadelphia and currently lives in Seattle.
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