On the Amtrak from Boston to New York City

“On the Amtrak from Boston to New York City” was written by Sherman Alexie, a Spokane/Coeur d’Alene poet, author, and filmmaker. The poem was published in First Indian on the Moon (1993)—a collection of poems, essays, and prose fragments—by the Brooklyn, New York-based Hanging Loose Press. Alexie’s first published poem, “Distances,” appeared in 1990.

Alexie was a prolific writer in his early career. In 1993, a second book of poetry, Old Shirts & New Skins, and his PEN/Hemingway Award-winning short story collection, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven were also published.

“On the Amtrak” is a lyrical free verse poem that explores the oppressive erasures of Indigenous culture and histories by the dominant narratives of white America through the speaker’s experience on a train trip from Boston to New York City. It features the mixture of cultural references, dark humor, and anger for which Alexie’s work is known.

Poet Biography

Sherman Alexie has said a creative writing course he took at Washington State University helped him find his writer’s voice. His life experiences have fueled his work.

He was born October 7, 1966, and grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, Washington.