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Kurt Schweigman (Luke Warm Water) Papers
Kurt Schweigman (Luke Warm Water) Papers, 1995-2024
Collection Overview
Title: Kurt Schweigman (Luke Warm Water) Papers, 1995-2024
ID: OGLMC1729
Extent: 1.75 Linear Feet
Date Acquired: 09/05/2024
Subjects: Literary - Poetry, University of North Dakota - Alumni
Languages: English
Abstract
Scope and Contents of the Materials
Collection Historical Note
Kurt Schweigman, a Native American poet, public health professional, and literary figure, is known for his contributions to both indigenous literature and public health. Born in 1965 in Rapid City, South Dakota, Schweigman is an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Nation. His academic background includes a B.A. in American Indian Studies from the University of North Dakota (1996) and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (2000). Throughout his career, Schweigman has worked extensively on various Native American public health initiatives.
Though not formally educated in literature, Schweigman became a self-taught writer, beginning his literary career as a spoken word poet. He performed under the pseudonym Luke Warm Water from 1999 to 2017 before transitioning to publishing under his own name. His poetry, deeply rooted in contemporary indigenous experiences, gained attention and support from notable writers like Jimmy Santiago Baca, Adrian C. Louis, and performance artist James Luna.
Schweigman’s poetry career spans well over two decades, during which he delivered over 200 public readings across the United States and Europe and published in over fifty literary journals, anthologies, internet website publications, and magazines. His participation in Poetry Slam competitions saw him winning fourteen and placing second in eight events from 1999 to 2010. He also published nine poetry chapbooks and was featured in many literary journals and anthologies, including Shedding Skins: Four Sioux Poets (Michigan State University Press, 2008).
In addition to his literary achievements, Schweigman earned various awards, including the prestigious Archibald Bush Foundation Artist Fellowship in Literature in 2005, which made him the first spoken word poet to receive such a grant. His involvement in social justice also led him to organize poetry events, some focused on the political activism surrounding American Indian issues, such as the freedom of political prisoner Leonard Peltier.
Schweigman co-edited Red Indian Road West: Native American Poetry from California (Scarlet Tanager Books, 2016) and collaborated on the animated short film Iktomi and the Food Stamp Incident (2005), which was screened at American Indian film festivals. Although retired from public poetry readings in 2024, he is currently writing his first novel, Sitting Bull in Paris, blending historical and contemporary fiction. His literary legacy is marked by a deep commitment to his indigenous roots, contemporary storytelling, poignancy, humor, and the promotion of Native American voices in literature.
Submitted by Kurt Schweigman, January 2025
Subject/Index Terms
Administrative Information
Repository: Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections
Access Restrictions: Open for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections.
Acquisition Source: Kurt Schweigman, Santa Rosa, California
Acquisition Method: Donation; 2024-3515
Preferred Citation: Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections, Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks.
Processing Information: Processed by Curt Hanson in September 2024.
Box and Folder Listing
Browse by Box:
[Box 1],
[Box 2],
[Oversize Folder 1: Publicity Posters],
[All]
- Box 1
- Folder 1: "Poetry Curriculum Vitae," 2016
- Folder 2: "Donovin Sprague: Goin' Where the Music Takes Him," "My Church is the Black Hills," and "Mad, Mad, Mad Poems..." Native Directions. 1995
- Folder 3: "Are You Hungry for Pizza?", "Reservation Casino," and "Wani'cokan wi." Slamworks T-Town Slam. January 13, 2000
- Folder 4: Commods. Trickster Arachnid Publications. 2000
- Folder 5: Hoka Hey! Trickster Arachnid Publications. 2000
- Folder 6: "Reservation Casino (Fetterman's Revenge)." Illya's Honey. 2000
- Folder 7: "Wani'cokan wi (Moon of Middle Winter." Di-verse-city 2000. 2000
- Folder 8: John Wayne Shot Me. Trickster Arachnid Publications. 2001
- Folder 9: Commods. Trickster Arachnid Publications. 2002
- Folder 10: "Letter to a Friend in Texas, from the Glass House." Worringer Platzgeschichten. 2003
- Folder 11: "Rainyday Tuesday" and "Wednesday Will End at Dino's." Ouroboros. Dark Future Press. 2003
- Folder 12: "Dawn of the Job Dead." X Magazine. 2004
- Folder 13: "Indian Health Service Clinic." Red Ink. 2004
- Folder 14: "John Wayne's Bullet." Mobius. 2004
- Folder 15: Wake Me Up Before You Fargo, the Plains English Tour 2004: a Transatlantic Poetic Experiment. 2004
- Folder 16: "blip blip." Cold Mountain Review. 2005
- Folder 17: "Luke Warm Water." Bush Artist Fellows 2005. 2005
- Folder 18: On Indian Time. Trickster Arachnid Publications. 2005
- Folder 19: "Poetry Slam Inspires American Indian Youth" and "Ode to Colonial House." Indian Education Today. 2005
- Folder 20: "Art of Huffing Paint." Drumvoices Revue. 2006
- Folder 21: "Blue Notebook." South Dakota Magazine. 2006
- Folder 22: "Nostalgic Neighborhood." Poetry International. 2006
- Folder 23: Iktomi's Uprising. 2007
- Folder 24: "Lazy Indian Mythos" and "Forgiveness." Yellow Medicine Review. 2007
- Folder 25: "Luke Warm Water." 12th Biennial Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival. 2008
- Folder 26: Shedding Skins: Four Sioux Poets. 2008
- Folder 27: A Decade of Malformation: Selected and New Poems (1999-2009). Trickster Arachnid Publications. 2010
- Folder 28: "Wani'cokan wi (Moon of Middle Winter)." Sing: Poetry from the Indigenous Americas. 2011
- Folder 29: "Rock Fight with Gary Smithsonian," "Wani'chokan wi (Moon of Middle Winter)," "The Jesus of Pine Ridge," and "Reservation Casino (Fetterman's Revenge." Left Curve. 2012
- Folder 30: "Sitting Bull in Paris: an Epic Poem." Yellow Medicine Review. 2012
- Folder 31: "Oniska (Pitiful)." Heartfire: Second Revolutionary Poets Brigade. Anthology. 2013.
- Folder 32: City Tree of Concrete and Hope. Trickster Arachnid Publications. 2014
- Folder 33: "Interview with Kurt Schweigman." Yellow Medicine Review. 2016
- Folder 34: Red Indian Road West: Native American Poetry from California. Scarlet Tanager Books. 2016
- Folder 35: "Beadwork." Tending the Fire: Native Voices and Portraits. Christoper Felver. 2017
- Folder 36: "Marin Coast." Fire and Rain: Ecopoetry of California. 2018
- Folder 1: "Poetry Curriculum Vitae," 2016
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