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Novel basketball match gets the ball rolling
Gate receipts support new MFA writing fellowship for American Indian student
It’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment the spark of an idea fanned into a heated, yet friendly, basketball game pitting some of the region’s best-known writers against one another.
Dubbed HooPalousa, the novel on-campus event, first held last November, raised awareness and support for a new MFA fellowship for an American Indian creative writing student.
“We’re looking toward diversity of students and stories,” says professor of English Kim Barnes. “Storytelling is such an imbedded part of the American Indian culture. They have so many stories to tell, and we want to support that telling.“
The idea for the basketball game came from a discussion that gained momentum as more people joined the conversation -- and wanted in. With award-winning authors coming in to visit the novel writing workshop to talk with students about their success and failures, Barnes says she was looking for something to offer back in gratitude for their time and effort.
Ordinarily, the authors’ appearances command large sums of money. But they happily came to Moscow for little more than a home cooked meal and a couch for the night. Barnes suggested a 3-on-3 basketball contest, which quickly blossomed into a full-court game as more people heard about it.
“When Sherman Alexie, an American Indian author, agreed to take part, I thought it might be a great way to honor the Native American connection to basketball by creating a writing fellowship,” Barnes says.
By coin toss time, nine writers, tribal leaders, college basketball legends and former pro-players from the region had formed The Spokane Dirty Realists. They sized up against 15 Idaho alums, faculty, staff, students and tribal members, who called themselves The Moscow SuperSonnets. Coaches, one team manager and even a team poet rounded out the field.
Among those in the stands and working the sidelines were students, staff and faculty volunteers and supporters from the athletic training department, communications department, movement science department, intramural sports, the Native American Student Association, American Indian studies department and the Vandal Nation Singers.
Barnes says organizers expected 100-200 spectators. They were pleasantly surprised to count roughly 600 fans in Memorial Gym that night. Barnes hopes future events will attract even more spectators and funds.
“We need to raise a lot of money to fund one student for three years,” says Barnes. “We’re off to a good start.”
Barnes says there are a number of minority scholarships and fellowships at other schools around the country, but none like the American Indian Graduate Fellowship in Creative Writing, the first of its kind in the nation. It will allow the University to better compete for top-notch candidates.
