Cheyenne Madonna

A gritty, yet humor and pathos-filled portrait of a young Native American struggling with the two constants in his life—alcohol and art. “Every sentence is unexpected, yet infallible.” —Ursula K. LeGuin

Eddie Chuculate’s prize-winning collection of linked short stories follows Jordan Coolwater from bored young boy, to thoughtful teenager, struggling artist, escaped convict, and finally, father. Readers will find an unsentimental portrait of America, of its dispossessed, its outlaws, and its visionaries.

The first story in this debut collection, “Galveston Bay, 1826,” won an O. Henry Prize, and the second, “Yo Yo,” received a Pushcart Prize Special Mention. Admirers of the short stories of Jim Harrison and Annie Proulx will appreciate Chuculate’s steady, confident prose rooted in American realism.

“Eddie Chuculate emerges as an important new talent in his generation of storytellers. He’s a kind of journalist of the soul as he investigates the broken-hearted nation of Indian men. The epicenter of action is the tenuous meeting place between boyhood and manhood, between fierce need and desire. Chuculate relates a world that is exactly what it is, with no romantic savage junk, and no temporary spiritual life preservers. In the midst of despair there’s a shrine of meaning that surfaces, like the miracle of sunrise after an all-night party.”—Joy Harjo, United States Poet Laureate