Margaret Verble
Margaret Verble | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Nationality | Cherokee Nation, American |
| Education | University of Kentucky (BA, MA, EdD) |
| Notable work | Maud's Line |
| Website | margaretverble |
Margaret Verble is a Native American author and member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Her book Maud's Line was a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Early life and education
[edit]Verble was born in Greenville, Kentucky, and grew up in Nashville, Tennessee[1]. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English at the University of Kentucky before returning to Nashville to teach English at Hillsboro High School. She later pursued graduate studies at the University of Kentucky, earning a Master’s degree in English Education and a Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction.[2]
Career
[edit]Research and Consulting
[edit]After completing her doctorate, Verble founded Verble, Worth & Verble, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in research on organ donation and transplantation ethics. She served as president of the company from 1982 to 2021, working with major organ procurement organizations and healthcare institutions.
Verble has authored numerous scholarly articles in journals such as Progress in Transplantation, Transplantation Proceedings, and The Journal of American Folklore. Her research has focused on donor family concerns, consent processes, and ethical challenges in organ and tissue donation. She has also presented her findings at national and international medical conferences.
From 2022 onward, Verble has worked as an independent consultant, continuing her work in healthcare ethics and education.[3]
Literary Work
[edit]After earning her degrees, Verble moved to Lexington, Kentucky, to run a business.[4] In 2015, her first novel Maud's Line was named a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.[5] Maud's Line focuses on her Cherokee nation heritage during the 1920s through the lens of a fictional woman named Maud Nail.[6] She later published a prequel to her first novel titled Cherokee America, set in 1875.[7][8]
Verble’s subsequent novels include:
- When Two Feathers Fell from the Sky (2021), which follows a Cherokee horse-diver in 1920s Nashville.[9][10]
- Stealing (2023), a novel exploring the forced assimilation of Native American children.[11]
Her short fiction and essays have appeared in journals such as Arkansas Review and Whistling Shade, and she has contributed to anthologies like Native Noir.
Awards and Honors
[edit]- Finalist, Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (2016)
- Spur Award Winner, Best Traditional Western Novel (2020)
- Finalist, Reading the West Adult Fiction Award (2020, 2024)
- Alumnus of the Year, College of Arts and Sciences, English Department, University of Kentucky (2024)
- Martin Koke Award for dedication to the Gift of Sight Program, San Diego Eye Bank (2001)
Selected Bibliography
[edit]- Maud’s Line (2015)
- Cherokee America (2019)[12]
- When Two Feathers Fell from the Sky (2021)
- Stealing (2023)
References
[edit]- ^ McCants, Cassidy (2019-02-06). "Back to the land". TulsaPeople Magazine. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
- ^ "A&S Alumna Named Finalist for Pulitzer Prize | University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences". english.as.uky.edu. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
- ^ "Margaret Verble Ed.D. - Home". www.vwvmargaretverble.org. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
- ^ Murphy, Jami (November 19, 2015). "'Maud's Line' first novel by Verble". cherokeephoenix.org. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
- ^ "Finalist: Maud's Line, by Margaret Verble". pulitzer.org. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
- ^ Eblen, Tom (June 24, 2016). "Lexington author's first published novel is Pulitzer finalist". kentucky.com. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
- ^ Westervelt, Eric (February 26, 2019). "Author Mines Family And Tribal History For Novel 'Cherokee America'". wbur.org. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
- ^ Lenhardt, Melissa (2019-03-07). "'Cherokee America' Blends Family Saga, History and Melodrama". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
- ^ WHEN TWO FEATHERS FELL FROM THE SKY | Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ "September 30, 2021 - Tom Eblen - Margaret Verble by Tom Eblen | Neil Kesterson". esweku.org. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
- ^ "The New Yorker Daily Newsletter". link.newyorker.com. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
- ^ Verble, Margaret (2019-02-19). "Finding Cherokee America: Deciphering My Convoluted Family History". Literary Hub. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
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- Living people
- People from Muskogee County, Oklahoma
- Writers from Muskogee, Oklahoma
- University of Kentucky alumni
- Cherokee Nation women writers
- Cherokee Nation writers
- 21st-century American novelists
- 21st-century American women writers
- 21st-century Native American women
- 21st-century Native American writers
- American novelist stubs