Carter Revard

Carter Curtis Revard (March 25, 1931 – January 3, 2022) was an American poet, scholar, and writer. He was of European American and Osage descent, and grew up on the tribal reservation in Oklahoma. He had his early education in a one-room schoolhouse, before winning a Quiz Bowl scholarship for college, subsequently attending University of Tulsa for his BA.

His Osage name, Nompehwahthe, was given to him in 1952 by Josephine Jump, his Osage grandmother. (Josephine Jump was not Revard's biological grandmother, but his step-grandmother.) Revard refers to her as his grandmother in his biographies and literature. His mother was Thelma Louise Camp, a white woman, and his biological father was McGuire Revard, who was Osage. He was raised by his mother and his fullblood Osage stepfather Addison Jump. Carter Revard was of Irish, Scots-Irish, and Osage descent. He grew up on Buck Creek Valley about 20 miles east of Pawhuska, where he and his twin sister were among seven siblings. The children were taught up to the eighth grade in a one-room schoolhouse.

In 1971–1972, Revard went to England on a sabbatical, where he tried to do medieval research at Oxford during a period of student unrest and disruption that damaged important library resources. During this period, he also started writing and sending out poems, which appeared in journals and anthologies, including Voices from the Rainbow: Contemporary Poetry by American Indians released by Viking Press in 1975. His first poetry collection, Ponca War Dancers, was published in 1980 by Point Riders Press out of Norman, Oklahoma.

Awards and professional recognition 2007 - American Indian Festival of Words Author Award 2005 - Lifetime Achievement Award, Native Writers' Circle of the Americas 2002 - Finalist, Oklahoma Book Award, Nonfiction category, for Winning the Dust Bowl 2000 - Writer of the Year, Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers 1994 - Oklahoma Book Award, Poetry category, for Cowboys and Indians Christmas Shopping The Spring 2003 issue of the journal, Studies in American Indian Literatures (SAIL) was entirely devoted to discussions of Revard's work; it also included pieces by him.

Carter Revard was a member of the Modern Language Association (MLA), the Association for Studies in American Indian Literature, the River Styx Literary Organization, the Association of American Rhodes Scholars, the University of Tulsa Board of Visitors, the St. Louis Gourd Dancers and Phi Beta Kappa.

He served the American Indian Center of St. Louis as board member, secretary and president.

Works Books How the Songs Come Down, Salt Publications (2005), poetry Winning the Dust Bowl, University of Arizona Press (2001), autobiography Family Matters, Tribal Affairs, University of Arizona Press (1999), autobiography An Eagle Nation, University of Arizona Press (1997) poetry Cowboys and Indians Christmas Shopping, Point Riders Press (1992), poetry Ponca War Dancers, Point Riders Press (1980), poetry