Darcie Little Badger

October 15, 2025

The Art of Perseverance 

With a PhD in oceanography and a passion for Indigenous futurism, Lipan Apache author Darcie Little Badger brings a distinctive and powerful voice to young adult speculative fiction. Her work blends science, Indigenous knowledges, and vivid imagination. A self-described fan of the weird, beautiful, and haunting, Darcie creates unforgettable worlds where the living and the dead, the past and the future, are all deeply connected.

Often inspired by Lipan history and stories, Darcie’s writing reflects the wisdom, resilience, and perseverance of the Lipan people, while highlighting the crucial role storytelling plays in carrying forward the past for future generations. 

Her debut novel, Elatsoe (2020), was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time. It won the Locus Award for Best First Novel and was a finalist for the Nebula, Lodestar, and Ignyte Awards. Her second novel, A Snake Falls to Earth, received the Nebula Award, Ignyte Award, Newbery Honor, and was longlisted for the National Book Award. Darcie’s latest novel, Sheine Lende, a prequel to Elatsoe, is a USA Today bestseller. 

When not writing novels, Darcie is busy creating comics and works of short fiction including the recently published, “Game Night,” found in the anthology Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories edited by bestselling Muscogee author Cynthia Leitich Smith.

View photos from Book Week 2025 with Darcie Little Badger

All images courtesy of Marjan Samadi Design