First Wednesday: February – Gregg Serris: Miwok Stories

Part American Indian, Filipino, and Jewish, Greg Sarris was adopted at birth and raised in both Indian and white families. He is Chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria and the Endowed Chair in Native American Studies at Sonoma State University. His books include Keeping Slug Woman Alive: Essays Toward a Holistic Approach to American Indian Texts (California, 1993), Watermelon Nights (1998), Grand Avenue (1994), and The Sound of Rattles and Clappers: An Anthology of California Indian Writing (1994).

Greg Sarris’s literary work defines those of us who live on this continent in new ways; his stories reflect the tragedy of exile, our painful separation from the land and from each other, and the radiant potential for reunion.

Greg Sarris is a renowned author, scholar, teacher, and Chairman, but his list of accomplishments extends much deeper. As a novelist he has brought inspiration, as a professor he has provided motivation, and as Chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, he has instilled hope. Greg has fully dedicated his life to making an impact on the lives of those who helped set the foundation of his own life today. Tribal Chairman Greg Sarris has put forth efforts to restore and rebuild a community that will forever change the lives of many.