野狼社区 University will host author of 鈥淭here There鈥� Tommy Orange as the first speaker in its Student Affairs Speaks series. This first installment, free and open to the public, is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, April 1.
The Student Affairs Speaks series, created by the university鈥檚 Division of Student Affairs, is a collaborative effort with the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes; the university鈥檚 Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and the OCU Center for Interpersonal Studies in Film and Literature. Each speaker will share expertise on a different facet of equity and inclusion, ranging from race and class to gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, and disabilities.
鈥淥ur goal is to bring high-profile artists, scholars and experts to share their knowledge and lived experiences with us while engaging in critical conversations,鈥� Director of Student Engagement Dr. Tiffany Smith, a citizen of Cherokee Nation and descendant of Muscogee (Creek) Nation, said. 鈥淲e are particularly thrilled to partner with Tommy鈥檚 nation to bring him home to engage with our local community and his own tribal community in important conversations about Indigenous identity and historical trauma, sharing the beauty of our diverse tribal cultures through our ways of storytelling and spirituality.鈥�
Orange will present the inaugural discussion 鈥淲riting as Resistance鈥� to shed light on the trials and tribulations of Native Americans throughout the nation鈥檚 history, particularly in urban neighborhoods. A member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes of Oklahoma, Orange attended the Master of Fine Arts program at the Institute of American Indian Arts. His debut novel, 鈥淭here There,鈥� was one of The New York Times Book Review鈥檚 10 Best Books of the Year and won the Center for Fiction鈥檚 First Novel Prize and the Pen/Hemingway Award. The multi-generational story was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
鈥淭he Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes are proud of Tommy Orange,鈥� Cheyenne and Arapaho Governor Reggie Wassana said. 鈥淗is book, 鈥楾here There,鈥� highlights Indigenous storytelling about tribal citizens鈥� experience of relocating to urban cities. Orange鈥檚 work is critical and brings awareness to diversity within the culture. He鈥檚 an inspiration to the youth to keep excelling in life, not to quit, and to go after your goals.鈥�
To register for the free event, visit .
