Audience Comments

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“Sherman was fantastic! Students responded incredibly well to him and he definitely challenged them in a unique and exciting way. He was personable, funny, engaging and just really a delight to work with.”
- Reed College

“We had a marvelous experience today with Sherman Alexie. We had a full house for his performance and he did an amazingly good job. We were all impressed not only with his humor but with his very serious insights into the human condition. Indeed, it was his balancing between the humorous and the more reflective which made the event such an extraordinary experience for our students and faculty.”
- Drury University

“Sherman was awesome!!!!!”
- Washington Recreations and Parks Association

“SO, our beautiful historic building, the Belle Mehus Auditorium COULD NOT HOLD THE AUDIENCE SHERMAN DREW!!!! In Podunk middle of nowhere. There are 824 seats. I’d be happy to fill 500 of them. We filled the stage with chairs, the aisles with sitting students, and the entrance foyer was five people deep STANDING to watch Sherman. There had to have been well over 1000 people in the building... Sherman was GREAT. My students loved him. EVERYONE loved him.”
- Bismarck State College

“We had well over 500 people in the audience; many were standing along the walls and in the back of a packed room. He seemed to really engage the audience; he was quite insightful, sometimes provocative, and very humorous.”
- California State University, Long Beach

“Sherman Alexie was amazing. The kids and faculty are all “abuzz,” and the donors loved it. He was funny and smart, gave them plenty to think about, and entertained them from start to stop.”
- Catlin Gabel School

“We are very happy with the event. Mr. Alexie was entertaining and funny. The room had a maximum capacity of 850 and was packed with at least that many people. During the book signing, Mr. Alexie was outgoing and personable. We had folks travel from all over our area to be present.”
- North Central Regional Library

“Sherman was terrific! He is such a nice guy and so incredibly funny. We had a great time and a good crowd. It couldn't have gone better. In my opinion, he was the best keynote speaker we have ever had.”
- Tidewater Community College

“The audience response supported my assessment that you contributed very significantly to the success of the conference.”
- National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education

“Thank you for your absolutely fabulous presentation "The Creative Genius of Community" at the American Library Association conference in San Francisco on June 18, 2001. The anticipation was palpable. You exceeded our expectations and gave us all an afternoon that will stay with us for the rest of our lives. Throughout the rest of the conference, individuals streamed up to me enthused about the magical afternoon you created and how you allowed them to find new meaning in their own stories.”
- American Library Association

“It was awesome. We had such a large audience -- we had to turn away 300 people... and, at Sherman's request, we stuffed about 200 people onto the stage to clear the aisles. He was on fire! ”
- Northern Arizona University

“...Sherman was all we expected and more...rockin' and shockin' and the students loved it.”
- Keene State College

“Sherman was fabulous and the program was wildly successful. I estimate that there were 700-800 people and he got a standing ovation at the end. People stood in line 45 minutes to 1 hour to have him sign the poem. ”
- Association of College and Research Libraries

“The event was amazing! We had about 350 to 400 people there, which is huge for a Haverford event. It's rare that people stay very long too--but he kept them there for 2 hours, easy. He was brilliantly funny, with an acid tongue and he held no idols. People have been coming up to me raving about how good he was. ”
- Haverford College

“He was alternately hilarious, outrageous and thought-provoking before an overflowing crowd. ”
- Iowa State University

“Sherman Alexie, as a speaker, teaches, entertains and inspires " interculturally, intergenerationally and with a flair for taking you to a creative playground that is both familiar and unfamiliar to all of us. He is simply one of the best speakers I've ever heard.”
- University of Puget Sound

“Sherman was fabulous”
- Minnesota American Indian Chamber of Commerce

“The fifth speaker in the Wisconsin Union Directorate's Distinguished Lecture Series, Alexie's lecture was the first this year to be sold out. Alexie is one of the most celebrated and honored voices of our generation. His work walks a line between pathos and humor. ”
- University of Wisconsin at Madison

“Absolutely smashing! Beyond my wildest expectations. He had us all laughing for two hours. But beyond that, he changed people's thinking ---which is my goal for bringing people of his caliber here. Anyone who saw him will never be the same.”
- Bismarck State College

“Sherman Alexie was one of the best speakers the University of Hawaii's Distinguished Lecture Series has ever invited. He was topical, funny and incredibly generous with his time and energy. He really connected with his audience, and people were talking about his lecture for months afterward. A truly stimulating visit. ”
- University of Hawaii

“Sherman's lecture last night was a great success here. We packed the hall with 300+ persons, 2/3 students and 1/3 people from the Boston area. He received a long ovation at the end, which soon became a standing ovation. ”
- Boston College

“Thank you so much for joining us in Portland for the NCTE Spring Conference. Your talk was the hight point for many of the attendees. Participants stopped by our registration desk all day to tell us how much they enjoyed hearing you speak. ”
- National Council of Teachers of English

“In the years I've been at Bryant, I've rarely seen the campus so full of excitement about an event. I was thrilled (and a little amazed) that you were able to captivate our audience for a full two hours " and I think they would have gladly stayed for at least another hour.”
- Bryant College

“Sherman was an excellent and timely tonic for the emotional state that people (our audience!) are in right now. Among the many things he addressed were issues and perspectives around the 9/11 tragedy.”
- The Field Museum, Chicago

“Your performance was the most popular and probably most memorable of the series. It touched a diverse audience and made an impact on a lot of young people.”
- Oklahoma City Community College

“Funny provocative, interesting, conversational, "off the wall," stimulating, amusing, entertaining " all comments from people at the Thursday night banquet. Our conference was a big success and you were a large part of that success. ”
- Washington Library Association Conference

“Your performance last night was terrific -- your stories were in turn thoughtful, funny, insightful and full of wisdom. Many students mentioned how much they appreciated having the chance to hear you speak and to talk with you. All of us admire the passion you express in your writing and in your performance. ”
- Oberlin College

“ We very much appreciated your ability to connect with the audience. Sharing your personal stories about your own educational experience with both humor and honesty reminded us why being an educator is such important work. It touched many people to know what a positive force they can be in a child's life. We could not have hoped for a more entertaining evening. ”
- University of Washington