Letter from the Editor | by Steve Elm

I arrived in New York City in the autumn of 1991, a hopeful ingénue, if one can be at the age of 31. There was no doubt in my mind that the previous years spent training and working as an actor in London would provide a leg up on the competition here. click here for more...

Memories | by Diane Fraher

World War II and its aftermath forced demographic and political changes that also affected western arts, the result being that New York City emerged triumphant over Paris as the center of western culture. click here for more...

My Years at the American Indian Community House in New York City | by Hanay Geiogamah

I worked with Native Americans in the Arts at the Community House in New York City from May, 1980 through early December, 1982; just about two and a half years. The actresses Jane Lind and the late and fabulous Marie Antoinette Rogers had organized a theater project there in 1981 as a valiant effort to develop new Indian theater within a tribal community: the urban Indian world of New York City. click here for more...

Jane Lind | by Jane Lind

My first few times in New York left me in shock. Over time, New York became an incredible experience. Getting my education in theater, dance, and every aspect of the performing arts, what a training ground. click here for more...

Donna Couteau | by Donna Couteau

I was a shy overweight teen-ager with a dream, cleaning a dance studio in exchange for ballet lessons in south Texas. The fact that I dared to dream came in part from the knowledge that I was Sac and Fox; related to legends like Black Hawk, Jim Thorpe, and Ernest Tubb of Grand Ole Opry fame from my non-Indian side. click here for more...

Muriel Miguel | by Muriel Miguel

I am 69 years old and have been in theater most of my life. My theater group, Spiderwoman Theater, is 30 years old. We have been here a long time!! I feel a great urgency to keep alive the generational memories of native people, especially in New York City. click here for more...

An Evening With Gloria Miguel | by Steve Elm

voice is deep, glottal; the accent brushed with the unmistakable color of New York City. Her face, set and full of character, gives so little away. It's in the eyes. They pierce, as if they know your secret. Then, Gloria Miguel’s face opens up with a wide, mischievous smile, and she points to me, "You've lost your boyish good looks." click here for more...

Louis Mofsie | by Louis Mofsie

Being a Native American New Yorker first and Native New Yorker second, one of the things I find most satisfying is performing in street fairs for other Native New Yorkers. If they like you they like you... if they don’t they don’t... they’ll let you know in no uncertain terms! click here for more...

Joe Cross | by Joe Cross

When I first came here I thought people (Indian artists) just came in and out of New York. I didn’t realize that anybody really lived here! It’s always great finding out that artists in all disciplines have used NYC, short or long term, to further and explore their careers. click here for more...

Why I Went to NYC | by Maurice Kenny

As soon as I graduated from High School I took a Greyhound to New York City to become a rich and famous Broadway actor. My father gave me one year to accomplish this feat and I soon discovered that my age, height, and the fact that I was not as handsome as Wes Studi... click here for more...

Marta Carlson | by Marta Carlson

New York city in the late 70s/early 80s was a hurricane of Native American talent. There was indigenous creative energy here expressing itself through a myriad of mediums (theatre, film, television, music, & art). There were limitless opportunities here to showcase our work. click here for more...

Writing, Questioning Why, Writing More | by Marijo Moore

Some mornings I wake up and wonder: why even bother to continue writing? When books such as those written by the spurned husband of a twenty-something teacher who had sex with her thirteen-year-old student are being published, I question: is this what the general public wants to read? click here for more...

Nadema Agard | by Nadema Agard

My first memories of the Native American art scene in New York was of going to Lloyd Oxendine’s gallery in Soho in the mid 1970’s. click here for more...

Ina McNeil | by Ina McNeil

I’ve always found New York to have an energy of its own and it has been important for me to make sure I am feeling that energy any time I do my creative work. It has been really good for my artwork for me to be here in New York... click here for more...

Ten Years according to Don | by Don Killsright

Talking Stick has been quite generous with me in allowing me to put my thoughts and views on paper and sharing it with all. It has been said that some of what I write has been controversial. I don’t know where the controversy comes from - I thought we all felt this way. click here for more...

Are We Still Here? | by Vicki Ramirez

When Talking Stick first started, it was yet another exciting opportunity for those of us in the Native Arts community to highlight our achievements and successes, especially for those of us involved in Native theatre. A comprehensive resource for funding, subsidies, and open auditions!? It was like the cherry on the cake of opportunity that we had been gorging ourselves on for years. click here for more...

That Sounds Like Me! | by Cochise Anderson

It was a long time ago when a young, Native artist started out by graduating from acting school on the Upper West Side. He had a dream of becoming an actor. Getting roles based on his ability and not his appearance. click here for more...

Diane Fraher | by Diane Fraher

I took a train from Oklahoma to New York because I had a scholarship to attend school in the east. The energy of New York was inspiring. It made me feel I could go anywhere and do anything. click here for more...

Setting Benchmarks in New York | by Diane Fraher

One of the most significant events during Peter’s term as Director of the Gallery was when he moved the Gallery to West Broadway in Soho. It gave it an identity in the real art world, and as a result the art critics tended to write about the shows. Critics, including Kay Larson from New York Magazine, Grace Glueck from the New York Times, Joan Shepard from the The Daily News and others like Howard Smith of the Village Voice all reviewed the shows mounted there. click here for more...

Put Something Up! | by Tristan Ahtone

Lloyd Oxendine dispenses with formal greetings by immediately introducing his birds. There are five of them in five separate and very large cages, bright green with the unmistakable “dinosaur-eyes” which watch his every movement as he gloats over them. click here for more...

Midnight on Park Avenue | by Pena Bonita

Park Avenue midnight, Weavin south black, silver, white limos. click here for more...