Talk:Sherman Alexie/Archive 1

The Lead Needs Expanding

The lead should be three to four paragraphs and summarize all of the content within the article. I think that this lead could be improved by better sentence structure and the addition of more information from the article. Good Luck! Crazykaystar (talk) 21:47, 19 February 2012 (UTC)

Isn't "Alexie" a Russian Name?

I am not disputing that he is Indian. But what about the rest of his heritage?

75.253.172.159 (talk) 06:39, 12 May 2009 (UTC)

Alexie is not a surname of Slavic origin. Aleksei, however, is a Russian first name, but it is also not of Slavic origin. Andabi03 (talk) 22:49, 30 December 2009 (UTC)

He is Indigenous; he is "registered" - but more to the point, no one has to prove how native they are for you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.235.171.249 (talk) 21:36, 2 March 2013 (UTC)

Talking about Smoke Signals

After watching Smoke Signals, I decided that it was one of the funniest movies I had seen. And one that seemed not to have a central idea. But after discussing the movie and going deeper into it's true meaning, this movie protrays a true native americans experience on the reservations along with the trials and tribulations they must go through.

Referencing changes

I removed the line, "Although Alexie is married to a woman and identifies himself as straight [1], he has sometimes written fiction from the perspective of a gay man." Seems irrelevant and possibly non-NPOV; I don't think we should care if he's gay or straight, and the orientation of his fictional characters certainly seems beside the point.

Chuggnutt 17:12, 8 December 2005 (UTC)

OK, I'm the one who wrote that, (and it has been edited over time from my original), because he is listed in the category "gay writers". Which I thought was vandalism. Then I went to "gay writers" category and it is described as "gay writers or straight writers who write from a gay perspective" (something like that, pressed for time, sorry) So I felt like the category that is *still there* at the bottom of the Alexie page needs to be explained. I took the time to find that reference where he actualy says he is straight. I sure don't care if he is straight or gay but as long as the category is at the bottom it is going to need explaining. IMHO. Writing is not my strong suit so maybe someone else can take it from here... --cda 02:50, 9 December 2005 (UTC)

(Also - someone pointed out he has written only one book from a gay perspective, I'm not familiar enough with his writing to write about that.)

Cleanup

The biogarphy section is a mess, especially the first paragraph. It needs to be broken down for readibility. The criticism section is way too listy. Stilgar135 17:31, 30 October 2006 (UTC)

The article is _bulging_ with stylistic blemishes. I'll purge it some time, thesis and other nonsense permitting. Notreallydavid 00:33, 2 January 2007 (UTC)

I've tried to clean it up a bit. I think it could still use some work, but I've tried to organize the section on writing somewhat and have rewritten the biography. DanielEng 00:46, 2 January 2007 (UTC)

Criticism

Regarding the Criticisms section: What we really have here is a series of reviews and blurbs. I'm looking at Academic Search Premiere for actual scholarly criticism on Alexie and find the following:

1. Leibman, Laura Arnold. "A Bridge of Difference: Sherman Alexie and the Politics of Mourning." American Literature 77:3, 541-561.

2. Slethaug, Gordeon E. "Hurricanes and Fires: Chaotics in Sherman Alexie's Smoke Signals and The Long Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Literature Film Quarterly 31:2, 130-142.

3. DeNuccio, Jerome. "Slow Dancing with Skeletons: Sherman Alexie's The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Critique 44:1, 86-97.

4. Ford, Douglas. "Sherman Alexie's Indigenous Blues." MELUS 27:3, 197-216.

5. Fitz, Karsten. "Native and Christian: Religion and Spirituality as Transcultural Negotiation in American Indian Novels of the 1990s." American Indian Culture & Research Journal 26:2, 1-15.

6. Coulumbe, Joseph L. "The Approximate Size of His Favorite Humor." American Indian Quarterly 26:1, 94-116.

7. Christie, Stuart. "Renaissance Man: The Tribal 'Schizophrenic' in Sherman Alexie's 'Indian Killer." American Indian Culture & Research Journal 25:4, 1-19.

I'm less than halfway through the list right now, but I'll return at some point to continue fleshing out this list of critical sources. I'll try to get to some when I can so that we can actually offer summaries of critical views of Alexie's work. ProfJeFF 16:53, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Alexie?

I put into search Alexie and nothing showed up, I don't know how to fix this but it shouldn't take first and last name to bring this article up. I someone knows how, please fix. Also if you look up Sherman it is listed as his last name, couldn't fix that eiter. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.105.209.231 (talk • contribs) 2007-01-11T10:29:04

Should work fine, just make certain to click the "Search" button. I've sometimes pressed the "Go" button and forget that it does something slightly different. --健次(derumi)^talk 17:05, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

Section deleted

I deleted a section that didn't seem to fit. There's already material in the article about Alexie's work being autobiographical, there's already a section on Smoke Signals, and it didn't seem like the right thing to just have a section with quotes from interviews (which, I might add, were not at all properly cited). If there are issues, please feel free to fix. DanielEng 08:21, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

It makes sense to me. There's no need to extend an article with repeated information. --健次(derumi)^talk 17:06, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

Wtf????????? iWas Wuz Tryna do My Work.. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.191.223.70 (talk) 18:09, 19 October 2011 (UTC)

Seattle Sonics

Are all the details regarding the Sonics' move to Oklahoma City really necessary? Why not just link to the Seattle Sonics page? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.212.76.206 (talk) 20:32, 14 August 2008 (UTC)

eBook controversy section

While I agree it is too long in its current form I completely disagree with Vizjim's deletion of almost the entire section so I am reverting it. It is rather unusual to hear an author's thought on the future of books, particularly on ebooks and it's more than rare to catch them openly speaking in a manner like this (that is, trashing the supposed 'star kid' of the book industry, Amazon's Kindle) - this obviously all belongs to this page dedicated to this author. This section needs a cleanup but not by gutting his words.Szlevi (talk) 13:35, 2 June 2009 (UTC)

In which case, this material belongs in the Kindle or e-book articles. In terms of Alexie's long controversy-studded career, honestly, this doesn't even merit a full sentence. I'll revert to my version for now - please could you carefully add maybe one or two chosen quotes to illustrate the section? Otherwise it's simply not an encyclopedic entry. Vizjim (talk) 14:27, 2 June 2009 (UTC)

I agree that it doesn't necessarily need to be included in this page, but since it keeps recurring, and more often then not, with negative political diction, I think it's more important to maintain a short section which accurately uses Alexie's words. I am finding that when I check this article, the e-book/internet/etc. sections are often from the point of view of those who disagree with the author. They take on accusatory language and tone, and I think this goes against the principles of a free information encyclopedia. Whoever you may be, save the opinions for more appropriate forums. Andabi03 (talk) 22:44, 30 December 2009 (UTC)

More translations

"The ablsolutely true diary of a part-time Indian" is translated in German by Katharina Orgaß and Gerald Jung. I dont't want to add it because I am not a member of the Englisch Wikipedia, maybe someone else can do it (if you can't type ß do ss) Thank you. --Ganida (talk) 22:10, 28 December 2009 (UTC)

It's done now. But there are some other german translators for some other books, too: for "Regenmacher"/Goldmann Verlag I don't know, but for "Lachsjäger" and "Indian Killer" it's Regina Rawlinson...--Werner, Deutschland (talk) 20:55, 30 January 2013 (UTC)

US-only URL in references

References #5 and #6 are both to the same URL - [2] - supposedly with video of interview. However, it cannot be viewed from Canada - I get redirected here instead. I assume the same would hold true of other countries. The link has to be replaced with the one that is globally available, or removed altogether. -- int19h (talk) 19:12, 2 January 2010 (UTC)

I noticed that the translator for Alexie's works in Tamil also has the same name as the late leader of the LTTE. I was wondering if that was a coincidence or a joke? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.230.119.243 (talk) 04:47, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

TIPS FOR EDITING PAGE

Hey CamMarie! I'm just giving some input for editing this article as assignment 3. Sherman Alexie, in his novel "Reservation Blues," writes a lot about the poverty and alcohol problems on the Native American reservations. I have this book if you so need it as a resource let me know. I'm more than happy to bring it to class. I thought it was a great read with a lot of insight on Native American Culture and Live on a Reservation. Also, as noted in the banner at the top of the page, you might be able to add the citations that are needed. It says that all the sources are there, they are just not cited in text. I feel like there is much more to be said about this author. Good luck! And again, let me know if you need that book, "Reservation Blues"

Veganchic (talk) 06:57, 21 February 2012 (UTC)

Possible Resources

I will be editing this article for a class. Below is a list of possible sources that I will be using in order to improve this article:

• Allam,Lorena and Nancy Peterson. "Reservation to Riches: A Conversation with Sherman Alexie." Peterson, Nancy. Conversations with Sherman Alexie.Jackson: U of Mississippi P, 2009. 157-168. Print.
• Bellante,John and Carl Bellante. "Sherman Alexie, Literary Rebel." Peterson, Nancy. Conversations with Sherman Alexie. Jackson: U of Mississippi P, 2009. 3-15. Print.
• Brill, Susan B. "Sherman (Joseph), (Jr.) Alexie." Native American Writers of the United States.Ed. Kenneth M. Roemer. Detroit: Gale Research, 1997. Dictionary of Literary Biography vol. 175. Literature Research Center.Web. 5 Mar. 2012.
• Crank, James. "Reservation Blues (Sherman Alexie): 'The Saddest Joke: Sherman Alexie's Blues'." Bloom,Harold,Hobby,Blake. Dark Humor. New York: Bloom's Literary Criticism, 2010. 219-228. Print.
• Ford, Douglas. "Sherman Alexie's Indigenous Blues." Melus(2002): 197-215. Print.
• Grassian, Daniel. Understanding Sherman Alexie. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2005. Print.
• Hollrah, Patrice. "Sherman Alexie's Challenge to the Academy's Teacjinh of Native American Literature, Non-native Writters, and Critics." Studies in American Indian Literatures: The Journal of the Association for the Study of American Indian Literatures(2001):23-25. Print.
• Newton,John. "Sherman Alexie's Autoethnography." Contemporary Literature, Special Issue: American Poetry of the 1990s(2001): 413-428. Print.
• "Sherman Alexie." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Literature Resources Center. Web. 5 Mar. 2012.
• Teters, Charlene. "Sherman Alexie: Poet, Novelist, Filmaker." Peterson, Nancy. Conversations with Sherman Alexie. Jackson: U of Mississippi P, 2009. 53-58. Print — Preceding unsigned comment added by CamMarie (talk • contribs) 02:54, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Outline of Possible Changes

Below is an outline of the possible changes I plan to make to this article. I feel that a lot more can be added to make this article better.

• Items to Expand/Rewrite:
  • Lead
    • I plan to rewrite some of the information already added.
    • The literary works that are mentioned in this can be edited.
    • Also needs more information added to make it 3-4 paragraphs.
  • Personal
    • I plan on rewording a few items.
    • I will also expand on some of the information already given as well as add more relevant information.
    • I plan on renaming this section "Life" or "Biography"
  • Works
    • I plan on renaming this section "Literary Works"
    • I may expand on some of the more popular literary works.
    • This section needs to be expanded and possibly rewritten.
    • I plan on removing the 'Awards and honors' information from this section and adding it to a separate section.
  • Translators
    • I'm not possitive what to do with this section. I may rewrite this section.

• Items to Remove:
  • Basketball sub-section
    • I may delete this as a sub-section, but incorporate the information into the other sub-sections under "Life"

• Items to Add:
  • In "Life"
    • Family history/background
    • Early Childhood
    • Academic and Writing Career
    • Current Projects
  • In "Literary Works"
    • Influences
    • I may also expand on some of the literary works
  • Awards and Honors
    • I plan on rewriting/rewording this section to add more details on the awards and the literary works that were honored.
  • Notes/References
    • Obviously more information will be added to this section as I go along.

• Order of Article:
  • Lead
  • Life
    • Family History/Background
    • Early Childhood
    • Youth
    • Academic and Writting Career
    • Current Projects
  • Literary Works
    • Influences
    • Poetry
    • Fiction
    • Films
  • Awards and Honors
  • Translators(possibly)
  • Notes/References (I may separate these sections)
  • External Links

CamMarie (talk) 00:39, 19 March 2012 (UTC)

This is an excellent plan! I look forward to reading your improvements! Wadewitz (talk) 18:12, 27 March 2012 (UTC)

Feedback I think you've got a good feel for what constitutes necessary and trivial information on Wikipedia. An article about Sherman Alexie doesn't really need a list of every translator of his work (note also that this is entirely unsourced) nor an entire (mostly unsouced) section devoted to his enthusiasm for basketball. He's not known for being translated (most authors of any acclaim have been translated) nor for being a basketball fan (there are millions of basketball fans), so these things are certainly worth mentioning but not emphasizing. Many biographical articles have short sections on someone's personal life, so you could relegate information like this to a section that includes the structure of his family, his activism with Native American youth, etc., but as you correctly point out, it's more important to discuss his work as an author: what has he written, when, why, and how? Are there themes that he has written about repeatedly? When reviewers talk about his work, is he favorably compared to other authors? Has there been a shift or change in his writing style over the years? These are the kinds of questions that should be answered in a biographical article about him moreso than his favorite sports. —Justin (koavf)❤T☮C☺M☯ 04:18, 28 March 2012 (UTC)

Suggestions for Improvement

So far the article seems to be coming along. My only concern is there is not very much information about Mr. Alexie's work. Most of it is about his personal life and his love for basketball. Try to add in some information about his poetry and other pieces. Maybe write a paragraph about what his two famous works of art are about or even reviews of them. Overall, this would be a great article if there were just a little more information about his writings. Fallscarlett13 (talk) 20:07, 9 April 2012 (UTC)

Interviews

I have grouped as "Interviews" all the External links to interviews.

The National Book Foundation-published interview of Alexie by RWG was evidently used only to document that he did win the 2007 NBA Young People's Literature --that is, used for its header rather than its content. So I have relegated it from References to External links/Interviews.
If the interview content is used, inline superscripts need to show where. But the more comprehensive reference to "National Book Awards--2007" should remain (for several reasons; eg, some readers may be interested to know the other contenders for the award Alexis won). --P64 (talk) 23:54, 15 April 2012 (UTC)