Jimmie Tramel
Tulsa World Scene Reporter
Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!
Your notification has been saved.
There was a problem saving your notification.
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Followed notifications
Please log in to use this feature
Log In
Don’t have an account? Sign Up Today
New York Times bestselling author Daniel H. Wilson will be the speaker when the University of Tulsa Presidential Lecture Series resumes 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, at the Lorton Performance Center.
A Tulsan, Cherokee Nation citizen and TU alumnus, Wilson chose Tulsa for the national book launch of his latest work, “Hole in the Sky.”
TU’s Presidential Lecture Series events are free and open to the public. Wilson will conduct a Q&A and a book signing after the talk.
Wilson, whose previous works include a sequel to Michael Crichton’s “The Andromeda Strain,” took part in an email Q&A in advance of the event.
What do you want to tell us about your Tulsa and tribal background?
“I grew up in north Tulsa, in the Cherokee Nation, and I’m a Cherokee citizen. I studied engineering at the University of Tulsa. That background informs a lot of my writing. They say ‘write what you know’ and, for me, that means a lot of my work is set in Oklahoma — with Native characters — and, of course, a whole heck of a lot of robots.”
Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack
What led you to become a writer?
“I’ve always been a big reader, and, as I got older, I wanted to try that magic trick for myself. A lifelong love of science fiction turned into degrees in computer science, robotics and artificial intelligence. Eventually, I learned enough real science that people were interested in reading what I had to say about science fiction.”
Why did you choose Tulsa for the national book launch of your latest book?
“‘Hole in the Sky’ takes place in northeastern Oklahoma near the town of Spiro. Oklahoma itself is really a character in this book — the land and the people here are key to everything that happens. Naturally, I had to come back home to Tulsa in order to launch the book.”
What do you want people to know about the book?
“‘Hole in the Sky’ is a story of first contact with an alien entity, set largely where I grew up on tribal land in northeastern Oklahoma. The novel follows NASA’s first observation of an interstellar anomaly, to its rapid approach, to its surprising impact near the town of Spiro — resulting in first contact. We bear witness through the lens of a by-the-books CIA weapons expert, an anti-social NASA astrophysicist and a determined Cherokee father, haunted by the loss of his son and determined to make things right with his daughter.”
The book has been picked up by Netflix? That sounds like good news.
“Netflix bought the rights to the novel and hired me to write the screenplay. The talented Sterlin Harjo is attached to direct. Let’s hope they decide to make it! I would love to see what Sterlin can do with this script, set here in Oklahoma.”
jimmie.tramel@tulsaworld.com
Stay up-to-date on what’s happening
Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!
* I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Jimmie Tramel
Tulsa World Scene Reporter
Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!
Your notification has been saved.
There was a problem saving your notification.
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Followed notifications
Please log in to use this feature
Log In
Don’t have an account? Sign Up Today