Mark Turcotte

Mark Turcotte was raised on North Dakota's Turtle Mountain Chippewa Reservation. After attending school in Lansing, Michigan, he lived on the road for nearly 15 years. Turcotte moved to Chicago in 1993, where his literary career was given a boost by Illinois Poet Laureate, Gwendolyn Brooks, who awarded him the first Gwendolyn Brooks Open-mic Poetry Award and recognized him as a Significant Illinois Poet.

Turcotte’s books of poetry include Exploding Chippewas (Northwestern University Press, 2002), Le Chant de la route (Vague Verte Editions, 2001), and The Feathered Heart (Michigan State University Press, revised 1998). Much of his work deals with his personal experience straddling the line between the cultures of natives and whites. He reveals the harsh truths of prejudice and emphasizes the importance of knowing one's cultural heritage. Turcotte has received awards from the Lannan Foundation, the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers, and the Wisconsin Arts Board. He is senior professional lecturer at DePaul University in Chicago.