Native Writers' Circle of the Americas
The Native Writers' Circle of the Americas is an organization of writers who identify as being Native American, First Nations, or of Native American ancestry.
The organization presents literary awards annually to writers in three categories:
- First Book of Poetry
- First Book of Prose
- Lifetime Achievement.
The Circle was formed as the outgrowth of the 1992 "Returning the Gift" Native Writers' Festival, a gathering of writers from Canada, the United States, Mexico and the Central America. The NWCA maintains contact information for Native American writers and a collection of Native American literature. The organization has been hosted by the University of Oklahoma's department of Native American Studies and is currently housed in the Department of English.
Lifetime Achievement Awards
The Native Writers' Circle of the Americas awarded the following Native authors with Lifetime Achievement Awards:- 1992: N. Scott Momaday
- 1993: Simon J. Ortiz
- 1994: Leslie Marmon Silko
- 1995: Joy Harjo
- 1996: Vine Deloria, Jr.
- 1997: James Welch
- 1998: Linda Hogan
- 1999: Joseph Bruchac
- 2000: Louise Erdrich
- 2001: Paula Gunn Allen and Gerald Vizenor
- 2002: Maurice Kenny
- 2003: Geary Hobson
- 2004: Lee Francis
- 2005: Carter Revard
- 2006: Luci Tapahonso
- 2007: Elizabeth Cook-Lynn
- 2008: Robert J. Conley
- 2009: Jack D. Forbes
- 2010: Sherman Alexie
- 2011: Wilma Mankiller
- 2012: LeAnne Howe
- 2013: Donald L. Birchfield
- 2014: Diane Glancy
- 2015: Allison Adelle Hedge Coke
- 2016: John Trudell and Jim Northrup
- 2017: Duane Niatum
- 2018: William S. Yellow Robe Jr.
- 2019: Maria Campbell
First Book Awards for Prose
- 1992: Robert L. Perea, Stacey's Story
- * Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel, The Lasting of the Mohegans
- * William S. Yellow Robe, Jr., The Star Quilter
- 1993: Philip H. Red Eagle, Red Earth
- 1994: Gus Palmer, Jr., Calling Through the Creek
- 1995: Glenn J. Twist, Boston Mountain Tales
- 1996: No award.
- 1997: Robert J. Perry, Life With the Little People
- * D. L. Birchfield, The Oklahoma Basic Intelligence Test
- 1998: No award.
- 1999: Evelina Zuni Lucero, Night Sky, Morning Star
- 2000: Chip Livingston, Naming Ceremony
- 2001: Valerie Red-Horse, Naturally Native
- 2002: Edythe S. Hobson, An Inquest Every Sunday
- 2003: Susan Supernaw, The Power of a Name
- 2004: Kimberly G. Roppolo, Back to the Blanket: Reading, Writing, and Resistance for American Indian Literary Critics
- 2005: Mia Heavener, Tundra Berries
- 2006: Judy R. Smith, Yellowbird
- * Frederick White, Welcome to the City of Rainbows
- 2007: Mary Lockwood, Attugu Summa/Come and See What It Is
- 2008: Linda LeGarde Grover, "The Road Back to Sweetgrass"
- 2009: JudyLee Oliva, Te Ata and Other Plays
- 2018: no award given
First Book Awards for Poetry
- 1992: Gloria Bird, Full Moon on the Reservation
- * Joe Dale Tate Nevaquaya, Leaving Holes
- 1993: Kimberly Blaeser, Trailing You
- 1994: Tiffany Midge, Outlaws, Renegades and Saints
- 1995: Denise Sweet, Songs for Discharming
- 1996: Charles G. Ballard, Winter Count Poems
- 1997: Deborah A. Miranda, Indian Cartography
- 1998: Jennifer K. Greene, What I Keep
- 1999: Janet McAdams, The Island of Lost Luggage
- 2000: Karenne Wood, Markings on Earth
- 2001: Suzanne Rancourt, Billboard in the Clouds
- 2002: Renee Matthew, Down River From Here
- * Phillip Caroll Morgan, The Fork-in-the-Road Indian Poetry Store
- 2003: Marlon D. Sherman, Wild Plums
- 2004: Christina M. Castro, Silence on the Rez
- * Cathy Ruiz, Stirring up the Water
- 2005: Kim Shuck, Smuggling Cherokee
- 2006: Rebecca Hatcher Travis, Picked Apart the Bones
- 2007: Kade L. Twist, Amazing Grace
- 2008: Steve Russell, Wicked Dew
- 2009: Rain Prud’homme-Cranford , Smoked Mullet Cornbread Crawdad Memory
- 2018: Yulu Elwis , ''Opé''