Choctaw Cultural Center Offers ‘Spooky’ Writing for Youth

DURANT, Okla. – Award-winning Choctaw author and storyteller Tim Tingle will lead a writing class for youth at the Choctaw Cultural Center. The seasonal topic of “Writing Spooky Short Stories” will run Saturday, Oct. 29 from 11:45 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the center. The in-person workshop is free and open to all students, eighth through 12th grades.

The author of 17 books, Tingle has said he writes for middle school students because they’re the most open-minded to reading. He specializes in American Indian literature and American Indians’ long tradition and heritage of storytelling. He speaks at 125 events each year. Though a resident of San Antonio, he is well known in southeast Oklahoma due to his first book “Walking the Choctaw Road,” a collection of interviews with Choctaw elders, and having given presentations at many Choctaw Labor Day Festivals. Another favorite title is “How I Became a Ghost,” a story of the Trail of Tears. His own great-great-grandfather was one of those who made that journey in the 1800s. “When a Ghost Talks, Listen,” “House of Purple Cedar,” and “Crossing Bok Chitto” are a few more of his popular works. Tingle has been awarded the American Indian Youth Literature Award and the Oklahoma Center for the Book’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Some of his work is also required reading in Montana public schools.

While there is no charge to attend “Writing Spooky Short Stories,” class size is limited to 20 and participants must preregister on the Choctaw Cultural Center website. The Choctaw Cultural Center is located at 1919 Hina Hanta Way, in Calera.