Episode 230 with Chelsea T. Hicks, Author of the Story Collection, A Calm & Normal Heart, Revitalizer and Student of the Osage Language, and Crafter of Poetic, Timely, and Timeless Stories

Notes and Links to Chelsea Hicks’ Work

 

   For Episode 230, Pete welcomes Chelsea Hicks, and the two discuss, among other topics, her language journey and how she came to study and work to help revitalize the Osage language, her feelings about being named “5 Under 35,” mentors and inspirations like Louise Erdrich and N. Scott Momaday, her writing as alternately “MFA-ish” and experimental, her nuanced view of “The Movie,” and salient themes from her story collection, including identity, celebrations and traumas, rematriation, agency, and family ties. 

 

   Chelsea T. Hicks is a Wazhazhe writer with an MA from UC Davis and an MFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts. Her writing has been published in The Paris Review, Poetry, McSweeney’s, and elsewhere. She was selected as a 5 Under 35 honoree by Louise Erdrich for the National Book Award, and her first book, A Calm and Normal Heart, was longlisted for the PEN America Robert W. Bingham Prize.

Buy A Calm and Normal Heart: Stories

 

 

Review of A Calm and Normal Heart in The Southern Review of Books

At about 1:30, Chelsea gives kudos to mentors at UCDavis for her MA

At about 2:25, Chelsea discusses her mindset and joy in being named one of the “5 Under 35” by Louise Erdrich for the National Book Foundation  

At about 7:15, Chelsea talks about her childhood relationship with language, and she provides a personal language background and a historical context for the loss and revitalization of the Osage language

At about 11:55, Chelsea shouts out Inés Hernández-Ávila and a language challenge through Ines’ connections in Oaxaca

At about 14:50, Chelsea gives background on some teaching and mentoring and promoting of language acceleration that she’s done 

At about 17:40-20:10, Chelsea responds to Pete’s question about innate connections to her Osage culture, particularly with regard to the language 

At about 20:35, Chelsea provides interesting information about the Osage language, including “masculine” and “feminine” ways of speaking and gendered pronouns

At about 22:40, The two discuss a cool phrase regarding the moon in Wažáže ie

At about 23:50, The two commiserate over linguistics classes

At about 24:45, Chelsea gives background on early favorite books and her literary journey, as well as how Peter Pan, other books, and her classmates and friends shone light on the way she and others in society saw her Native culture

At about 28:35, Chelsea traces her path as a writer, including early, self-guided poetry 

At about 30:25, Chelsea describes an “opening of [her] eyes” in reading N. Scott Momaday

At about 32:30, Chelsea references some particular insights of Momdaday from House of Dawn and gives background on a Paris Review article she wrote about his work; Chelsea discusses “rematriation” and land care, while discussing important work by Natalie Diaz and Sogorea Te’ Land Trust

At about 35:50, Pete and Chelsea discuss the book’s introduction and including indigenous language in the book, especially the titles; Pete shouts out a dynamic 

At about 37:30, Chelsea responds to Pete’s question about connections in the collection’s opening story to Killers of The Flower Moon and how she sees the movie

At about 43:10, Pete lays out some salient themes and plotlines covered in the story collection

At about 44:25, Chelsea wants to clarify how her work comes off- “direct” and “experimental,” etc.

At about 46:25, Chelsea talks about her writing philosophy, craft, love of poetry, and future academic work

At about 47:30, Pete enumerates some creative methods used by Chelsea

At about 49:50, Pete cites an important and poignant quote from the book

 

 

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    Please tune in for Episode 231 with Jazmina Barrera Velasquez, who is a fellow at the Foundation for Mexican Letters. Her book of essays, Cuerpo extraño, was awarded the Latin American Voices prize from Literal Publishing in 2013, and she is the editor and co-founder of Ediciones Antílope, and author of, most recently, Cross-Stitch. 

   The episode will go live on April 16 or 17.