NATIVE AMERIAN WRITER JOSEPH BRUCHAC TO SPEAK AT CONVOCATION posted 10/7/05

Joseph Bruchac, a Native American writer and storyteller, is scheduled to speak Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 12:15 p.m. in Dawson Auditorium, as past of the ongoing Convocation speaker series.

Bruchac is a professional storyteller who has preformed in Europe and throughout the United States. Most of his writings come from his Abenaki ancestry, as well as his ethnic background that includes Slovak and English. His poems, stories, and articles have appeared in over 500 publications, which include the American Poetry Review and the Smithsonian Magazine. He has published over 70 books for children and adults such as “Tell Me a Tale” and “The Heart of a Chief.” His writings have received numerous awards including the winner of an American Book Award for his “Songs from this Earth on Turtle’s Back, Breaking Silence.”

He also has been awarded with the Hope S. Dean Award for Notable Achievement in Children’s Literature, and both the 1998 Writer of the Year Award and the 1998 Storyteller of the Year Award from the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers. In 1999, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas. He has been featured in events such as the British Storytelling Festival and the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesboro, Tennessee.

He earned his bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, a master’s degree in literature and creative writing from Syracuse, and a doctorate in comparative literature from the Union Institute of Ohio. For eight years, he was directing a college program for Skidmore College inside a maximum security prison.

Dawson Auditorium is located off of Charles Street on the Adrian College campus. This event is free and open to the public. (campus map)