Oral history interview with Traci Sorell: Oklahoma Authors

Interview Date: 11/13/2019
Interviewer: Blackshear, Emily
Interview Location: Wagoner, Oklahoma

Traci Sorell, author and citizen of the Cherokee Nation, discusses her experiences as a child growing up with an interest in literature in the Cherokee Nation and California. She describes her exposure to Native American literature while attending UC Berkeley and her decision to attend law school at the University of Wisconsin. After law school Sorell describes working various jobs focusing on Native American advocacy including becoming a legislative director for the National Indian Health Board and working as the executive director of the National Indian Council on Aging. With the combined knowledge of these experiences she began writing books for children and young adults in order to educate the youth of America and abroad about the history and culture of today's Native American population.