Frank Waters
Encyclopedia
Frank Waters was an American writer. He is known for his novels and historical works about the American Southwest. The Frank Waters Foundation, founded in his name, strives to foster literary and artistic achievement in the Southwest United States.
to May Ione Dozier Waters and Frank Jonathon Waters. His father, who was part Cheyenne
, was a key influence in Water's interest in the Native American
experience. Frank Jonathon Waters took his son on trips to the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico in 1911, described by Frank in his book The Colorado. Frank's interest in his Indian roots was partially a reaction to his father's death on December 20, 1914, when young Frank was twelve years old.
Waters continued his education at Colorado College
in Colorado Springs. He studied engineering but left school before receiving a degree. Immediately after leaving college, Waters took a job with the Southern California Telephone Company, working in Los Angeles and the surrounding area. He remained employed by the company until 1935 as an engineer and traffic chief. Between 1925 and 1935, Waters worked on his first novel, Fever Pitch (1930) and a series of autobiographical novels beginning with The Wild Earth's Nobility (1935). In 1936, Waters left L.A. and moved back and forth between Colorado and New Mexico, continuing to write and completing a biography of W. S. Stratton, Midas of the Rockies. He became close friends with Mabel Dodge Luhan
and her husband from Taos Pueblo
, Tony Luhan.
When World War II broke out, Waters moved to Washington, D.C.
to work for the Office of Inter-American Affairs. There, he performed the duties of a propaganda analyst and chief content officer and, although he was released from the army in 1943, he continued to work for the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs. Waters' masterpiece, The Man Who Killed the Deer, was published in 1942.
While living in D.C. in 1944, Waters married Lois Moseley, whom he divorced two years later. After his divorce, Waters moved to Taos, New Mexico
, where he continued to write. In 1947, Waters purchased property at nearby Arroyo Seco, New Mexico, and married Jane Somervell. He served as editor-in-chief of Taos' bilingual newspaper, El Crepusculo from 1949–1951, and as a reviewer for the Saturday Review of Literature from 1950-1956.
In 1953, Waters was awarded the Taos Artists Award for Notable Achievement in the Art of Writing. Waters also held positions as information consultant for Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, New Mexico, and for the City of Las Vegas, Nevada
, (1952–1956). He held a variety of other jobs, including writer for C.O. Whitney Motion Picture Co., Los Angeles (1957), writer-in-residence, Colorado State University
, Fort Collins
(1966); and director, New Mexico Arts Commission, Santa Fe, New Mexico, (1966–68). On December 23, 1979, Waters married Barbara Hayes. He continued to write and make public appearances. He and his wife lived alternately in Arroyo Seco and Sedona, Arizona. Frank Waters died at his home in Arroyo Seco on June 3, 1995.
From the 1930s on, Waters published numerous novels, articles and works of nonfiction.
. According to the FWF website,
The FWF is supported financially by endowments, workshops, lectures, art shows, musical events, fundraisers, grants, and sales of various items including books and bronze sculptures of Frank Waters. His wife Barbara Waters is executive director of the foundation.
Past artists-in-residence include:
to come.
Interviews
Biography
Frank Waters was born on July 25, 1902, in Colorado Springs, ColoradoColorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
to May Ione Dozier Waters and Frank Jonathon Waters. His father, who was part Cheyenne
Cheyenne
Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
, was a key influence in Water's interest in the Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
experience. Frank Jonathon Waters took his son on trips to the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico in 1911, described by Frank in his book The Colorado. Frank's interest in his Indian roots was partially a reaction to his father's death on December 20, 1914, when young Frank was twelve years old.
Waters continued his education at Colorado College
Colorado College
The Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell...
in Colorado Springs. He studied engineering but left school before receiving a degree. Immediately after leaving college, Waters took a job with the Southern California Telephone Company, working in Los Angeles and the surrounding area. He remained employed by the company until 1935 as an engineer and traffic chief. Between 1925 and 1935, Waters worked on his first novel, Fever Pitch (1930) and a series of autobiographical novels beginning with The Wild Earth's Nobility (1935). In 1936, Waters left L.A. and moved back and forth between Colorado and New Mexico, continuing to write and completing a biography of W. S. Stratton, Midas of the Rockies. He became close friends with Mabel Dodge Luhan
Mabel Dodge Luhan
Mabel Evans Dodge Sterne Luhan , née Ganson was a wealthy American patron of the arts. She is particularly associated with the Taos art colony.-Early life:...
and her husband from Taos Pueblo
Taos Pueblo
Taos Pueblo is an ancient pueblo belonging to a Taos speaking Native American tribe of Pueblo people. It is approximately 1000 years old and lies about north of the modern city of Taos, New Mexico, USA...
, Tony Luhan.
When World War II broke out, Waters moved to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to work for the Office of Inter-American Affairs. There, he performed the duties of a propaganda analyst and chief content officer and, although he was released from the army in 1943, he continued to work for the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs. Waters' masterpiece, The Man Who Killed the Deer, was published in 1942.
While living in D.C. in 1944, Waters married Lois Moseley, whom he divorced two years later. After his divorce, Waters moved to Taos, New Mexico
Taos, New Mexico
Taos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico, incorporated in 1934. As of the 2000 census, its population was 4,700. Other nearby communities include Ranchos de Taos, Cañon, Taos Canyon, Ranchitos, and El Prado. The town is close to Taos Pueblo, the Native American...
, where he continued to write. In 1947, Waters purchased property at nearby Arroyo Seco, New Mexico, and married Jane Somervell. He served as editor-in-chief of Taos' bilingual newspaper, El Crepusculo from 1949–1951, and as a reviewer for the Saturday Review of Literature from 1950-1956.
In 1953, Waters was awarded the Taos Artists Award for Notable Achievement in the Art of Writing. Waters also held positions as information consultant for Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, New Mexico, and for the City of Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, (1952–1956). He held a variety of other jobs, including writer for C.O. Whitney Motion Picture Co., Los Angeles (1957), writer-in-residence, Colorado State University
Colorado State University
Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
, Fort Collins
Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins is a Home Rule Municipality situated on the Cache La Poudre River along the Colorado Front Range, and is the county seat and most populous city of Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Fort Collins is located north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. With a 2010 census...
(1966); and director, New Mexico Arts Commission, Santa Fe, New Mexico, (1966–68). On December 23, 1979, Waters married Barbara Hayes. He continued to write and make public appearances. He and his wife lived alternately in Arroyo Seco and Sedona, Arizona. Frank Waters died at his home in Arroyo Seco on June 3, 1995.
From the 1930s on, Waters published numerous novels, articles and works of nonfiction.
Frank Waters Foundation
The Frank Waters Foundation (FWF), established in 1993, is a nonprofit organization the primary goal of which is to promote the arts, specifically those in the spirit of the creativity of Frank Waters. The members of the FWF operate under the motto "Sheltering the creative spirit", by providing a retreat for artists to live and work among the Sangre de Cristo MountainsSangre de Cristo Mountains
The Sangre de Cristo Mountains are the southernmost subrange of the Rocky Mountains. They are located in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico in the United States...
. According to the FWF website,
The FWF is supported financially by endowments, workshops, lectures, art shows, musical events, fundraisers, grants, and sales of various items including books and bronze sculptures of Frank Waters. His wife Barbara Waters is executive director of the foundation.
Past artists-in-residence include:
- Charles Behlen—Texas, poet
- Barbara “Jamila” Fitzgerald—Africa, artist
- David Jongeward—Canada, writer
- Andrea Lannen—New York, artist
- Kit Lynch—Illinois, artist
- Tom Meyers—Texas, doctoral candidate
- Hugh Ogden—Connecticut, poet
- Lynn Stenzel—Colorado, artist
- Carrie Fountain—Texas, poet, teacher and theater
- Jim Ciletti—Colorado Springs, poet, writer, bookstore owner
2012 phenomenon
In 1975, Waters wrote Mexico Mystique: The Coming Sixth World of Consciousness. In the book, he makes the case that December 24, 2011, a date he got from Michael Coe's The Maya (1966), will be the closing date of the Mayan Long Count cycle and would initiate a new wave of human consciousness. The framework of Waters' book demonstrates most of the major themes and ideas that would become the staples of the 2012 phenomenon2012 phenomenon
The 2012 phenomenon comprises a range of eschatological beliefs that cataclysmic or transformative events will occur on December 21, 2012. This date is regarded as the end-date of a 5,125-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar...
to come.
Novels
Novels written by Waters include:- Fever Pitch (1930), reprinted as Lizard Woman
- The Wild Earth's Nobility (1935)
- Below Grass Roots (1937)
- Dust Within the Rock (1940)
- People of the Valley (1941)
- The Man Who Killed the Deer (1942)
- River Lady (1942, w/Houston Branch)
- The Yogi of Cockroach Court (1947)
- Diamond Head (1948 w/Houston Branch)
- The Woman at Otowi Crossing (1965)
- Pike’s Peak (1972), revision and condensation of The Wild Earth's Nobility, Below Grass Roots, and Dust Within the Rock.
- Flight from Fiesta (1986)
Other published works
Other published works, essays, non-fiction, and esoteric writings by Waters include:- Midas of the Rockies (1937)
- The Colorado (1946)
- Masked Gods: Navajo and Pueblo Ceremonialism (1950)
- The Earp Brothers of Tombstone: the Story of Mrs. Virgil Earp (1960)
- Book of The Hopi (1963)
- Robert Gilruth (1963)
- Leon Gaspard (1964)
- Pumpkin Seed Point (1969)
- To Possess the Land: A Biography of Arthur Rochford Manby (1973)
- Mexico Mystique: The Coming Sixth World of Consciousness (1975)
- Mountain Dialogues (1981)
- Brave Are My People: Indian Heroes Not Forgotten (1993)
- Of Time and Change: a Memoir (1998)
Further reading
- Adams, Charles. "Frank Waters" in Western Literature Association (ed.), Updating the Literary West, pp. 854–862. TCU Press, 1997. ISBN 0875651755
- Cline, Lynn. Literary Pilgrims: The Santa Fe and Taos Writers' Colonies, 1917-1950, ch. 11. University of New Mexico Press, 2007. ISBN 0826338518
- Deloria, Vine. Frank Waters: Man and Mystic. Swallow Press, 1993. ISBN 0804009791
- Dunaway, David King; Spurgeon, Sara L. Writing the Southwest, pp. 218–232. University of New Mexico Press, 2003. ISBN 0826323375
- Lyon, Thomas J. Frank Waters (Volume 225 of Twayne's United States authors series). Twayne, 1973.
- Rogers, Gary Wade. Frank Waters: Author of Vision in the American Tradition of Emerson, Melville, and Faulkner. Texas Christian University, 1993.
- Waters, Barbara. Celebrating the Coyote: A Memoir. Divina, 1999. ISBN 0965952150
Interviews
- Evers, Larry, ed. "A Conversation with Frank Waters" in Sun Tracks Five (University of Arizona, Tucson), 1980, pp. 61–68.
- Gustafon, Robert. "A Conversation with Frank Waters on American Indian Religion" in Pembroke Magazine (N.C.), 1974, No. 5, pp. 78–89.
- Peterson, James. "A Conversation with Frank Waters: Lessons from the Indian Soul" in Psychology TodayPsychology TodayPsychology Today is a bi-monthly magazine published in the United States. It is a psychology-based magazine about relationships, health, and related topics written for a mass audience of non-psychologists. Psychology Today was founded in 1967 and features articles on such topics as love,...
, 1973, Vol. 6, No. 12, pp. 63–99 passim. - Tarbet, Tom. "The Hopi Prophecy and the Chinese Dream: An Interview with Frank Waters" in East West Journal (Brookline, Mass.), 1977, Vol. 7, No. 5, pp. 52–60, 62, 64.
- Taylor, James. "An Interview with Frank Waters" in Black Bear Review (Taos, NM), 1973, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 1–5.
External links
- Inventory of the Frank Waters Papers, 1892-1992, University of New Mexico, University Libraries, Center for Southwest Research