Repairing trauma, revering family: Indigenous author Oscar Hokeah headlines Fort Collins Book Fest with debut novel

As a teen, author Oscar Hokeah was an avid reader. He devoured dark fantasy novels and envisioned writing Native American versions of those stories. His studies drew him on a more literary path — but it took a long time to get there.  

"So the last grade I completed was sixth grade, and then I got a GED when I was 17," Hokeah said. "And so I didn't even think of myself as being [a writer] even though I read all the time and I would write all the time. I just never thought of myself as being someone who would go to college." 

At the age of 29, Hokeah returned to school and began studying literary fiction. He was determined to bring his perspective as an Indigenous person to a field that has only a small percentage of novelists from tribal communities. 

Now Hokeah, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma, is headlining the Fort Collins Book Fest with his award-winning debut novel “Calling for a Blanket Dance.” He joined In The NoCo's Erin O'Toole to discuss the book, and the powerful cultural elements he brings to the page.

The literary festival continues through February 19. Find the 2024 Book Fest reading list here; and a schedule of events here.