Susan Power

Susan Power is an American novelist and short story writer of Standing Rock Sioux and European-American descent whose work centers on Native American life, history, and storytelling. Her debut novel brought contemporary Native American perspectives to mainstream literary audiences, blending myth, history, and family saga. Power has taught creative writing and mentored emerging authors while receiving multiple honors for her fiction and contributions to literature.

Early life and education

Power was born in Chicago, Illinois, into a family connected to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and raised amid Midwestern cultural institutions such as Chicago, Illinois, and nearby tribal communities. Her parents included activists and writers tied to Native American advocacy and institutions like The American Indian Movement and regional tribal governments. She attended public schools in the Chicago area before studying at Harvard University where she completed an undergraduate degree. She later earned a law degree from Harvard Law School and pursued advanced creative writing study at the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop.

Literary career

Power began publishing short stories and essays in literary magazines and anthologies associated with institutions such as The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Ploughshares, and university presses. Her career advanced after winning national fellowships and residencies from organizations including the National Endowment for the Arts, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. She has taught creative writing and literature at universities such as Harvard University, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Arizona, and participated in panels and conferences hosted by the Modern Language Association, the Association of Writers & Writing Programs, and regional literary festivals.

Major works and themes

Power's debut novel, published in the early 1990s, interwove multigenerational narratives with Lakota and Sioux history, traditional stories, and contemporary life, earning acclaim from outlets such as The New York Times Book Review, Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post. Her collection of short stories and subsequent novels continued to explore themes of identity, trauma, memory, spirituality, and resilience within Native communities, referencing historical events like the Wounded Knee Massacre and cultural figures associated with Plains tribes. Literary influences and intertextual references in her work include authors and works published by Knopf, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and university presses, alongside oral traditions preserved by elders and archivists at institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution and tribal cultural centers.

Awards and recognition

Power received major honors including a Lannan Foundation fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and awards from literary organizations such as the National Book Critics Circle and regional critics' associations. Her debut novel won a national first-book prize and was shortlisted for awards administered by institutions like the PEN American Center and the American Book Awards. She has been awarded honorary fellowships and visiting professorships at universities including Yale University and received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Personal life and community involvement

Power lives and works in the United States, maintaining ties to the Standing Rock Sioux community and participating in cultural preservation efforts with tribal organizations, museums, and academic programs. She has collaborated with institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of the American Indian, regional tribal colleges, and nonprofit organizations engaged in Indigenous arts and literacy. Power has served on editorial boards and advisory councils for literary magazines and Native American cultural initiatives and continues to mentor writers through workshops hosted by organizations like the Literary Arts organization and university creative writing programs.

Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:Native American novelists Category:American women novelists