Lance Twitchell
American scholar and poet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lance X̱ʼunei Twitchell (born 1975) is an American scholar, poet, and language revitalization advocate.[1] He works as an associate professor of Alaska Native Languages at the University of Alaska Southeast. He has written for "Molly of Denali".[2]
X̱'unei Lance Twitchell was granted tenure in the Department of Humanities, School of Arts & Sciences at the UAS Juneau Campus in 2018.[3]
He earned a Ph.D. in Hawaiian and indigenous language and culture revitalization from the Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, an M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and a B.A. in English with a minor in American Indian studies from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.[3]
He serves on the state's Alaska Native Language Preservation & Advisory Council, appointed by the governor.[4]
Early life
Awards and work
Awards
- Top Forty Under 40 award, Alaska Journal of Commerce (2013)[7]
- Judson L. Brown Leadership Award from Sealaska Heritage Institute (2016)[8]
- Contributions to Literacy in Alaska (CLIA) Awards, Alaska Center for the Book (2017)[9]
- First Alaskan Institute Young Native Leader Award (2020)[10]
- Emmy award for “Molly of Denali” episode in the category of Outstanding Writing for a Preschool Animated Program (2025) [11]
Poems
- "Nanook Sweats," "Release, Definition: Trickster," "Ode to Tlingit, Yellow Hair Takes the Fat and We Lament His Seedy Departure," and "Dark Skin and Betraying Uncle," published in Yellow Medicine Review (Spring, 2009)
- "Shaawatkʼeʼs Birth", co-author, filmed by Alaska Quarterly Review (2016)[12]
Books
Chapters
- Tlingit use of marine space: putting up fish by Caskey Russell and X̱'unei Lance Twitchell [15]