Thank you for Shann Ray's article on Sherman Alexie ("He's On Fire," 8/3/17). In February I was attending a regional church convention in Tukwila. There were three young women teachers there from Canada, and their first question to me about Spokane was, "Did you know Sherman Alexie?" They use Sherman's books and poems in their teaching.
It is wonderful to be from a town known for Sherman Alexie's writings, Vanessa Behan's Crisis Nursery, and Ken Spiering's Red Wagon. I had thought that perhaps it might be a fitting venue for Sherman Alexie to speak at the next Spokane church convention, and say goodbye to the last remnants of the Japanese-Americans who were stripped of their homes, their jobs, their businesses, their cars, their friends, and banished to our deserts during WWII. When I called Sherman's agent in New York, I learned that Sherman can now command a fee about half the annual church budget. This was, of course, disappointing. But is also made me feel very proud and happy for Sherman, all of us readers, and for his family.
Keep writing, Shann. Keep writing, Sherman.
Bob Gilles
Spokane, Wash.
