WEBVTT

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James briefly attended
the School of Visual Arts

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in New York City and
Brooklyn College.

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He finished his
undergraduate schooling

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at the Institute
of American Indian

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Arts in Santa Fe with an
AFA in creative writing.

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And he also studied with
Anne Waldman, Allen Ginsberg,

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Gary Snyder, and Anselm Hollo
at the Naropa Institute Summer

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Writing Program.

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Upon graduating in 1990, James
was given a full fellowship

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to attend the Brown
University Graduate Writing

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Program and this was
really the only time--

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only the second time
in Brown's history

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that they allowed an AFA
directly into an MFA program.

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And he received his MFA in 1993.

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[CLEARS THROAT]

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And, you know, he's
published in many journals,

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including the Blue Mesa Review,
Mandorla, First Intensity,

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Tan Tien out of China,
The Alembic, Exit Zero,

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Arts Advocate Magazine
of New Mexico,

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and his entire
manuscript of Tokinish

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was chosen for the Teepee
Town, what's it called?

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Visit Teepee Town:
Native American

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Writing After the
Detours, which was

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published by CoffeeHouse Press.

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So anyways, [LAUGHS] I don't
know, I just can't tell you--

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I just can't tell you
how amazing this is.

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As a Native poet,
as a Navajo poet,

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James's work has been--
he's been doing translations

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and he's really presented a
body of work that is very new

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and it's posing
towards new directions.

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And as somebody who
recognizes his work

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and wants his work to sort
of follow in a similar path,

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it just gives me great,
great, great honor

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to introduce James
Thomas Stevens.

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