Sherman Alexie Talks with Bill Moyers

. . . [O]ne of the things I've always tried to do as a public person

is limit the gap between who I am on a daily basis

and who I am on a stage. . .  I've tried
 to be as honest  as possible.

~ Sherman Alexie

Award-winning writer Sherman Alexie (b. 1966), the author of more than 20 books encompassing poetry, novels, short stories, and screenplays, was interviewed this spring by Bill Moyers. Alexie movingly addresses the difficulties of being both "native" (Spokane/Coeur d'Alene) and "a White American" who "live[s] in the in between". He also talks candidly about his diagnosis of bipolarity and its effect on his creativity; gives his perspective on communicating via social media; and reads a number of his poems, including "Tribal Music", "The Facebook Sonnet", and "Another Proclamation", as well as an excerpt, "War Dances", from his short story collection Blasphemy (Grove Atlantic Press, 2012). Of writing, Alexie says, "I'm naturally a poet. I started as a poet. I think it's how I look at the world. . . ."

Sherman Alexie's Blog

Sherman Alexie Profiles at Academy of American Poets, Modern American Poetry, The Poetry Foundation

Compilation of Articles at The New York Times About Sherman Alexie

Compilation of Articles by Sherman Alexie at The Stranger, a Seattle Newspaper

Sherman Alexie in Conversation with Neko Case at The Believer Magazine (February 2012)

Sherman Alexie on FaceBook, Twitter, and YouTube