A popular speaker and storyteller, Choctaw author and storyteller Tim Tingle’s presentations always include the Native American flute, hymns sung in Choctaw, and performances of stories from his books. Choctaw Chief Gregory Pyle has requested a story from Tingle before his Annual State of the Nation Address for the past five years. In July, Tingle will perform at the Native American Wing of the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.
     Tingle began traveling to Choctaw communities in Mississippi and Oklahoma in the early 1990’s, and his recordings of tribal elders resulted in his first book, Walking the Choctaw Road. WTCR was chosen as Book of the Year in both Oklahoma and Alaska in 2005, and Tingle toured both states discussing his writings and promoting literacy. A collection of eleven short

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stories, the book includes a moving Trail of Tears memory as told by Tingle’s great-great-grandfather, who actually survived the trail in 1835. WTCR is currently studied in universities across America.
     Tingle’s latest title, When Turtle Grew Feathers, is his first early childhood read-aloud book. Based on a traditional Choctaw story and featuring colorful illustrations by California artist Stacey Schuett, the story is a Native American version of Rabbit racing Turtle.
Crossing Bok Chitto, released in 2006, received favorable reviews in a number of national magazines, including an Editor’s Choice citation in the New York Times Book Review. Illustrated by Cherokee artist Jeanne Rorex-Bridges, CBC earned the 2007 Oklahoma Book Award.
     Spirits Dark and Light, released in October of 2006, includes twenty-five ghost stories from the Five Civilized Tribes, the Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw, and Seminole nations. .