Colson Whitehead
Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning author of The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys
Tommy Orange
MacArthur Fellow, bestselling novelist and author of There There and Wandering Stars
Photo credit: Michael Lionstar
Tommy Orange is the author of the bestsellingThere There, a multi-generational, relentlessly paced story about a side of America few of us have ever seen: the lives of urban Native Americans. A Pulitzer Prize finalist, There There shows us violence and recovery, hope and loss, identity and power, dislocation and communion, and the beauty and despair woven into the history of a nation and its people. His newest work, Wandering Stars, conjures the ancestors of the family readers first fell in love with in There There,asking what it means to be the children and grandchildren of massacre. Orange talks about his craft, the writing process, and Native American history and culture, often in dynamic and frank in-conversation programs
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About Tommy Orange
Tommy Orange’s There There is an exceptional debut novel that grapples with the history of a nation while showcasing a side of America few of us have ever seen. After noticing a lack of stories about urban Native Americans, Orange created a remarkable work that explores those who have inherited a profound spirituality, but who are also plagued by addiction, abuse, and suicide.
There There tells the story of twelve characters who each have private reasons for travelling to the Big Oakland Powwow, and who come together after a brutal act of violence. Pam Houston praised the book, saying “This is Tommy Orange. Remember his name. His book’s gonna blow the roof off.”
Houston’s prediction proved to be correct: Orange’s There There is a national bestseller that won the PEN/Hemingway Award, the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize, the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, and the American Book Award. It was also shortlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. It appeared on countless “Best Books of the Year” lists, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, Time, O: The Oprah Magazine, GQ, Entertainment Weekly, and Buzzfeed. Margaret Atwood hailed it as an “astonishing literary debut.”
An especially popular speaker for colleges, universities, and libraries, Orange talks about his craft, the writing process, and Native American history and culture, often with meticulously researched visual presentations. His newest book, Wandering Stars, is a novel about epigenetic and generational trauma that traces the legacies of the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and the Carlisle Indian Industrial School through three generations of a family. This sequel to There There was longlisted for the Booker Prize.
Tommy Orange is a 2025 MacArthur Fellow, a 2014 MacDowell Fellow and a 2016 Writing by Writers Fellow, as well as a recent graduate from the MFA program at the Institute of American Indian Arts. He is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, and was born and raised in Oakland, California. He now lives in Angels Camp, California, with his wife and son.
Contact us for more information about booking Tommy Orange for your next event.
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Speaking Topics
A Conversation with Tommy Orange
In a highly engaging “fireside chat,” Tommy Orange delves into his writing process, including the themes of Native American culture and history that inform his works. A thoughtful, measured speaker, he shares his thoughts on craft and his experience as a debut novelist with frankness and humor.
Categories: College + University Speakers, Bestselling Author Speakers, Common Reads Speakers, Community Reads Speakers, Current + Social Issues Speakers, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Speakers, Fiction + Literary Speakers, First-Year Experience Speakers, Library Favorites, MacArthur Fellow Speakers, NEA Big Read Speakers -
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Praise for Tommy Orange
Tommy was an excellent speaker and a pleasure to spend time with. He took extra time to speak with the students and sign their books after the events. The students at both schools were engaged, and principals and teachers from both schools expressed that this meant so much to their classes.
— Maria’s Literary FoundationAmazing. Feedback included: “This conversation was healing.” “His approach to writing could be an approach to life. Pay attention to what matters.”
— Auburn Theological SeminaryTommy was so, so great and we are eternally grateful that he took the time to chat with us all! The feedback that we’ve received since the event has only been extremely positive. Specifically, folks really appreciated how insightful the conversation was and were very excited to get to meet him and get answers to their questions live after having read his books and being so touched by his work. Personally, I agree with all of the feedback we’ve received so far and will cherish this opportunity!
— HashiCorp Indigenous NetworkAs much as our community already loved Tommy Orange’s books, he truly captured everyone’s hearts last night. What a tremendously kind & generous soul—brilliant, thoughtful, humble, wise, compassionate, fearless, funny… the list of compliments I heard from the audience goes on and on. Can’t wait to follow every step of his career—I know I’m not alone! Please extend my heartfelt gratitude to Tommy for giving of himself so generously to our audience. Such a gem!
— Just Buffalo Literary CenterIncredible on so many levels! The feedback I heard about Tommy included the following: honest, insightful, kind, funny, zero ego, real. Tommy was a delight during the patron party, his talk/Q&A, and the book signing.
— Omaha Public Library FoundationIt was a terrific program and [Tommy] got great audience reaction and questions.
— Central Arkansas Library SystemTommy was incredibly engaging and generous. His ability to employ humor and empathy while talking about the book, his writing process and his life made for a very engaging event.
— Berkeley Public LibraryI thought Tommy did a great job connecting with the audience and it was a great experience since many of our teachers use his book in their classroom.
— National Council of Urban Education AssociationsTruly an honor, Tommy! Thank you so much. Filled my heart today, this was awesome. I loved his statement about “spending time reading the stories of people that are different from you.” I really appreciated the thoughtful questions and conversation surrounding Mr Orange’s writing and liked how they brought it around to what can we as audience members could do personally to affect change at the end.
— Lawrence Berkeley National LabPraise for There There
There There is a miraculous achievement, a book that wields ferocious honesty and originality in service of telling a story that needs to be told. This is a novel about what it means to inhabit a land both yours and stolen from you, to simultaneously contend with the weight of belonging and unbelonging. There is an organic power to this book – a revelatory, controlled chaos. Tommy Orange writes the way a storm makes landfall.
— Omar El Akkad, author of American WarThere Theredrops on us like a thundercap; the big, booming, explosive sound of 21st century literature finally announcing itself. Essential.
— Marlon JamesThere There is a miraculous achievement, a book that wields ferocious honesty and originality in service of telling a story that needs to be told. This is a novel about what it means to inhabit a land both yours and stolen from you, to simultaneously contend with the weight of belonging and unbelonging. There is an organic power to this book – a revelatory, controlled chaos. Tommy Orange writes the way a storm makes landfall.
— Omar El Akkad, author of American WarThis is Tommy Orange. Remember his name. His book’s gonna blow the roof off.
— Pam HoustonThere, There is an urgent, invigorating, absolutely vital book by a novelist with more raw virtuosic talent than any young writer I’ve come across in a long, long time. Maybe ever. Tommy Orange is a stylist with substance, a showboater with a deeply moral compass. I want to call him heir to Gertrude Stein by way of George Saunders, but he is even more original than that. This book will make your heart swell.
— Claire Vaye Watkins -
Books by Tommy Orange
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Media About Tommy Orange
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Featured Title
Wandering Stars
“If there was any doubt after his incredible debut, there should be none now: Tommy Orange is one of our most important writers. The way he weaves time and life together, demands we remember how our history shapes us. In this novel the pain and resilience of generations are summoned beautifully. A wonderous journey and a necessary reminder.” —Nana Kwame Adjei Brenyah, author of Chain Gang All Stars
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