First Man
“Up to this point, I didn’t think I liked him. I’ve never really had any sort of healthy male relationships, so obviously once I got one, I was determined to keep it forever…”
Fiction
In Print
Student 2023
Writing Contest Winners
Dear BlueBird Flour
“Roll out and flatten it quite well! And throw it to the frying death. Self-maintaining Manifest Destiny. Lip-smacking Indian delight. Suffocate us with your trauma. Give us our daily simple carbs…”
Listening for Her Loom
“It seemed the longer I sat in her room and looked at her deconstructed loom leaned against her empty bed, the more my vision blurred with an unbearable longing for her…”
Heated
“I might turn into that pregnant summer stereotype “crabby, huge, and miserable” and don’t dare question me in this heat: “How are you pregnant during summer?” I’d punch someone today…”
Breakfast, August 8, 2025, 0730
“I used to look them up in the obituaries to see if I could find them there. That’s not closure. I mean, hell, you kneel over someone, feel their final warmth through your gloves, stare at their eyes…”
A Fistfight in Hell
“I will stop at nothing to be in the company of my demons. The rez dogs are still barking. The cars keep flowing. The coffee is still terrible and I am cold…”
An Ode to Desire and Dogged Determination
The acclaimed author from the Cherokee Nation and guest editor of the 2023 student edition presents her top creative writing selections and underscores the unique qualities of tribal college student writing.
