PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel
1 appearances
-
Edition 20 (1995) Winner
Mona Susan Power
モナ・スーザン・パワー
Mona Susan Power
Pen Names:
Mona Susan Power（Used as author/pen name）
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
- Nationality
- Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Chicago, Illinois (birth) → Saint Paul, Minnesota (residence)
Career
- Occupations
- author, novelist, university instructor
- Active Years
- 1994-
- Affiliations
- Hamline University (faculty)
- Nominations
- National Book Award for Fiction longlist (A Council of Dolls)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard University | — | — | BA | — | United States |
| Harvard Law School | — | Law | JD | — | United States |
| Iowa Writers' Workshop | — | Creative Writing (MFA) | MFA | 1992-? | United States |
Harvard University
Degree:
BA
Country:
United States
Undergraduate degree (exact year not specified in source)
Harvard Law School
Law
Degree:
JD
Country:
United States
Juris Doctor (JD); enrollment/graduation year not specified in source
Iowa Writers' Workshop
Creative Writing (MFA)
Degree:
MFA
Period:
1992-?
Country:
United States
Entered MFA program in 1992
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel | The Grass Dancer | — | PEN America | 受賞 |
| — | US Artists Fellowship | — | — | US Artists | 受賞 |
PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel
1995
Work:
The Grass Dancer
Organization:
PEN America
Result:
受賞
US Artists Fellowship
Organization:
US Artists
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Grass Dancer
1994 Novel / Magical realismA debut novel spanning four generations of a Native American family. The complex narrative moves between past and present and incorporates spiritual elements and rituals.
ancestry and familyritual and spiritualitymemory and history
Strong Heart Society
1998 Novel / linked short storiesA collection exploring family and community stories, examining cultural identity and personal choices.
communitytradition and change
Roofwalker
2002 Short story collectionA collection of short stories focusing on contemporary human dramas from Native American perspectives.
identitycross-cultural tensions
Sacred Wilderness
2014 Short story collectionA short story collection weaving nature, spirituality, and tribal history, portraying sacredness and complex human relationships.
nature and spiritualitytribal memory
A Council of Dolls
2023 NovelA novel that chronicles Native girls and their dolls across 20th-century America, addressing trauma, healing, and solidarity while blending historical facts and fiction.
trauma and healingfemale solidarityhistorical memory
Bibliography
- The Grass Dancer
- Strong Heart Society
- Roofwalker
- Sacred Wilderness
- A Council of Dolls
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- narrative-driven style with elements of magical realismstorytelling influenced by Native oral traditions
- Recurring Motifs
- ancestry and family tiesrituals, dreams, and spiritual elementsland and memory
Legacy
Mona Susan Power is a prominent Native American writer whose debut The Grass Dancer brought wide attention. She is recognized for incorporating tribal history, oral traditions, and rituals into literature, amplifying Native voices in contemporary American letters.
Trivia
- Her mother, Susan Kelly Power, helped found the American Indian Center in Chicago.
- Her grandmother Josephine Gates Kelly served three terms as a leader of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.
- She is a descendant of Sioux Chief Mato Nupa (Two Bears).
- She studied at Harvard University, Harvard Law School, and the Iowa Writers' Workshop.
- Her 2023 novel A Council of Dolls was longlisted for the National Book Award for Fiction.