Joseph Bruchac

Joseph Bruchac (born October 16, 1942) is a writer of books relating to the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a particular focus on northeastern Native American and Anglo-American lives and folklore. He has published poetry, novels, and short stories. Bruchac is from Saratoga Springs, New York, and is of Abenaki, English, and Slovak ethnicity. Among his works are the novel Dawn Land (1993) and its sequel, Long River (1995), which feature a young Abenaki man before European contact.

Joseph Bruchac
BornOctober 16, 1942 (1942-10-16) (age 78)
OccupationWriter, educator, storyteller
EducationB.A., Cornell University; M.A., Syracuse U.; Ph.D., Comparative Literature, Union Institute
Period1971–present
GenreFiction, music, poetry
SpouseCarol Bruchac (deceased)
ChildrenJim Bruchac, Jesse Bruchac
Website
josephbruchac.com

Native writer

Bruchac is best known for his work as a Native writer and storyteller, with more than 120 books and numerous awards to his credit. He began publishing in 1971 and has collaborated on eight books with his son Jim. In 1999, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers' Circle of the Americas.[1]

In 2019, his book Squanto's Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving published in 2000 by Harcourt Brace was not recommended by American Indians in Children's Literature.[2]

Coauthor with Michael J. Caduto of the Keepers of the Earth series,[3] Bruchac's poems, articles and stories have appeared in over 500 publications, from Akwesasne Notes and The American Poetry Review to National Geographic Magazine and Parabola. He has edited a number of anthologies of contemporary poetry and fiction, including Songs from this Earth on Turtle's Back, Breaking Silence (winner of an American Book Award) and Returning the Gift.

As one of the founders of the Wordcraft Circle of Native American Writers and Storytellers, he has helped numerous Native authors get their work published.

Personal life

Bruchac lives in Porter Corners, a hamlet in the town of Greenfield, New York. Mr. Bruchac is also a performing storyteller and musician. He plays several Native instruments, including the hand drum, wooden flute, and the double wooden flute, which produces two notes at the same time. He performs with his sister, Marge Bruchac, and his sons, Jim and Jesse, as part of The Dawnland Singers.

He holds a B.A. from Cornell University, an M.A. in Literature and Creative Writing from Syracuse and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the Union Institute of Ohio. His work as an educator includes eight years of directing a college program for Skidmore College inside a maximum security prison. With his late wife, Carol, he founded the Greenfield Review Literary Center and The Greenfield Review Press.

Bruchac was a varsity heavyweight wrestler at Cornell University. For more than three decades, he has also been a devoted student of the martial arts. He holds the ranks of pengawal and pendekar in Pencak Silat, the martial art of Indonesia, and has studied various forms of T'ai chi, capoeira, kung fu wushu, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with numerous teachers. His two sons are also martial arts teachers.

His novel March Toward the Thunder features Native men who enlisted in the American Civil War; it is based on the experiences of his great-grandfather, Louis Bowman. Joseph Bruchac has also written Code talker: A Book About the Navajo Marines.[4] Code talkers were used in World War II.

Bibliography
  • Indian mountain, and other poems. / Joseph Bruchac. (1971)
  • The Buffalo in the Syracuse Zoo and other poems / Joseph Bruchac. (1972)
  • The poetry of pop / by Joe (Joseph) Bruchac. (1973)
  • Great Meadow : Words of hearsay and heresy / Joseph Bruchac. (1973)
  • The Manabozho poems / Joseph Bruchac. (1974)
  • Turkey Brother, and other tales : Iroquois folk stories / as told by Joseph Bruchac ; illustrated by Kahonhes (Kahionhes). (1975)
  • Flow / by Joseph Bruchac. (1975)
  • The road to Black Mountain : a novel / by Joseph Bruchac. (1976)
  • Garter snakes / Joseph Bruchac. (1976)
  • Mu'ndu Wi-'go : poems from Mohegan stories and the Mohegan diary of Flying Bird (Mrs. Fidelia A. H. Fielding) / by Joseph Bruchac. (1978)
  • There are no trees inside the prison / Joseph Bruchac. (1978)
  • Dreams of Jesse Brown / Joseph Bruchac. (1978)
  • Stone giants & flying heads : adventure stories of the Iroquois / as told by Joseph Bruchac ; illustrated by Kahonhes (Kahionhes) and Brascoupé. (1979)
  • The good message of Handsome Lake / Joseph Bruchac. (1979)
  • How to start and sustain a literary magazine : practical strategies for publications of lasting value / by Joseph Bruchac. (1980)
  • Iroquois stories : heroes and heroines, monsters and magic / as told by Joseph Bruchac ; illustrated by Daniel Burgevin. (1985)
  • Survival this way : interviews with American Indian poets / Joseph Bruchac. (1987)
  • Near the mountains / Joseph Bruchac. (1987)
  • Keepers of the earth : native American stories and environmental activities for children / Michael J. Caduto and Joseph Bruchac ; foreword by N. Scott Momaday ; illustrations by John Kahionhes Fadden and Carol Wood. (1988) (1997)
  • The faithful hunter : Abenaki stories / as told by Joseph Bruchac ; illustrations by Kahionhes. (1988)
  • Return of the sun : native American tales from the Northeast woodlands / by Joseph Bruchac ; illustrations by Gary Carpenter. (1989)
  • Long memory and other poems / by Joseph Bruchac ; illustrations, Kahionhes ; translation, Hartmut Lutz = Langes Gedächtnis und andere Gedichte / von Joseph Bruchac ; Illustrationen, Kahionhes ; Übersetzung, Hartmut Lutz. (1989)
  • Native American stories / told by Joseph Bruchac ; illustrations by John Kahionhes Fadden. (1991)
  • Hoop snakes, hide behinds, and side-hill winders : tall tales from the Adirondacks / by Joseph Bruchac ; illustrated by Tom Trujillo. (1991)
  • Keepers of the animals : Native American stories and wildlife activities for children / Michael J. Caduto and Joseph Bruchac ; foreword by Vine Deloria, Jr. ; story illustrations by John Kahionhes Fadden and David Kanietakeron Fadden ; chapter illustrations by D.D. Tyler and Carol Wood. (1991)
  • Turtle meat and other stories / by Joseph Bruchac ; illustrations by Murv Jacob. (1992)
  • Native American animal stories / told by Joseph Bruchac ; foreword by Vine Deloria, Jr. ; illustrations by John Kahionhes Fadden and David Kanietakeron Fadden. (1992)
  • Thirteen moons on turtle's back : a Native American year of moons / by Joseph Bruchac and Jonathan London ; illustrated by Thomas Locker. (1992)
  • Flying with the eagle, racing the Great Bear : tales from native North America / told by Joseph Bruchac. (1993) (2011)
  • The native American sweat lodge : history and legends / by Joseph Bruchac.(1993)
  • Dawn Land : a novel / Joseph Bruchac. (1993)
  • Fox song / Joseph Bruchac ; illustrated by Paul Morin. (1993)
  • The first strawberries : a Cherokee story / retold by Joseph Bruchac ; pictures by Anna Vojtech. (1993)
  • A boy called Slow : the true story of Sitting Bull / Joseph Bruchac ; illustrated by Rocco Baviera. (1994)
  • Keepers of the night : Native American stories and nocturnal activities for children / Michael J. Caduto and Joseph Bruchac ; story illustrations by David Kanietakeron Fadden ; chapter illustrations by Jo Levasseur and Carol Wood ; foreword by Merlin D. Tuttle. (1994)
  • The great ball game : a Muskogee story / retold by Joseph Bruchac ; illustrated by Susan L. Roth. (1994)
  • The girl who married the moon : tales from Native North America / told by Joseph Bruchac and Gayle Ross. (1994) (2006)
  • Keepers of life : discovering plants through Native American stories and earth activities for children / Michael J. Caduto and Joseph Bruchac ; foreword by Marilou Awiakta ; story illustrations by John Kahionhes Fadden and David Kanietakeron Fadden ; chapter illustrations by Marjorie C. Leggitt and Carol Wood. (1994)
  • The earth under Sky Bear's feet : native American poems of the land / Joseph Bruchac ; illustrated by Thomas Locker. (1995)
  • Long River : a novel / Joseph Bruchac. (1995)
  • The story of the Milky Way : a Cherokee tale / by Joseph Bruchac and Gayle Ross ; paintings by Virginia A. Stroud. (1995)
  • The boy who lived with the bears : and other Iroquois stories / told by Joseph Bruchac ; illustrated by Murv Jacob. (1995)
  • Gluskabe and the four wishes / retold by Joseph Bruchac ; illustrated by Christine Nyburg Shrader. (1995)
  • Dog people : native dog stories / Joseph Bruchac. (1995)
  • Roots of survival : Native American storytelling and the sacred / Joseph Bruchac. (1996)
  • Between earth & sky : legends of Native American sacred places / written by Joseph Bruchac ; illustrated by Thomas Locker. (1996)
  • Four ancestors : stories, songs, and poems from Native North America / told by Joseph Bruchac ; pictures by S.S. Burrus. (1996)
  • Children of the longhouse / Joseph Bruchac. (1996)
  • Native American gardening : stories, projects, and recipes for families / Michael J. Caduto and Joseph Bruchac ; interior illustrations by Mary Adair, Adelaide Murphy Tyrol, and Carol Wood ; foreword by Gary Paul Nabhan ; preface by Marjorie Waters. (1996)
  • The circle of thanks / told by Joseph Bruchac ; pictures by Murv Jacob. (1996)
  • The maple thanksgiving / written by Joseph Bruchac ; illustrated by Anna Vojtech. (1996)
  • Eagle song / Joseph Bruchac ; pictures by Dan Andreasen. (1997)
  • Many nations : an alphabet of Native America / by Joseph Bruchac ; illustrated by Robert F. Goetzl. (1997)
  • Tell me a tale : a book about storytelling / Joseph Bruchac. (1997)
  • Lasting echoes : an oral history of Native American people / Joseph Bruchac ; assemblage and painting by Paul Morin. (1997)
  • Bowman's store : a journey to myself / Joseph Bruchac. (1997) (2001)
  • The heart of a chief : with connections / Joseph Bruchac. (1998)
  • The arrow over the door / Joseph Bruchac ; pictures by James Watling. (1998)
  • When the Chenoo howls : Native American tales of terror / Joseph and James Bruchac ; illustrations by William Sauts Netamux́we Bock. (1998)
  • The waters between : a novel of the dawn land / Joseph Bruchac. (1998)
  • Heart of a chief : a novel / Joseph Bruchac. (1998)
  • Seeing the circle / by Joseph Bruchac ; photographs by John Christopher Fine. (1999)
  • No borders : new poems / Joseph Bruchac. (1999)
  • The Trail of Tears / by Joseph Bruchac ; illustrated by Diana Magnuson. (1999)
  • Squanto's journey : the story of the first Thanksgiving / Joseph Bruchac ; illustrated by Greg Shed. (2000)
  • Crazy horse's vision / by Joseph Bruchac ; illustrated by S.D. Nelson. (2000)
  • Sacajawea : the story of Bird Woman and the Lewis and Clark Expedition / Joseph Bruchac. (2000)
  • Native American games and stories / James Bruchac and Joseph Bruchac ; illustrations by Kayeri Akweks. (2000)
  • Trails of tears, paths of beauty / Joseph Bruchac. (2000)
  • Pushing up the sky : seven native American plays for children / Joseph Bruchac ; illustrated by Teresa Flavin. (2000)
  • Skeleton Man / Joseph Bruchac. (2001)
  • Journal of Jesse Smoke : a Cherokee boy / Joseph Bruchac. (2001)
  • How Chipmunk got his stripes : a tale of bragging and teasing / as told by Joseph Bruchac & James Bruchac ; pictures by Jose Aruego & Ariane Dewey. (2001)
  • Navajo long walk : the tragic story of a proud people's forced march from their homeland / by Joseph Bruchac ; with illustrations and captions by Shonto Begay. (2002)
  • Winter people / Joseph Bruchac. (2002)
  • Seasons of the circle : a Native American year / by Joseph Bruchac ; illustrated by Robert F. Goetzl. (2002)
  • Warriors / Joseph Bruchac. (2003)
  • Turtle's race with Beaver : a traditional Seneca story / as told by Joseph Bruchac & James Bruchac ; pictures by Jose Aruego & Ariane Dewey. (2003)
  • Pocahontas / Joseph Bruchac. (2003) (2005)
  • Our stories remember : American Indian history, culture, & values through storytelling / Joseph Bruchac. (2003)
  • Can Turtle fly? : a Lakota folk tale / retold by Joseph Bruchac ; illustrated by Gerald McDermott. (2004)
  • Rachel Carson : preserving a sense of wonder / by Thomas Locker & Joseph Bruchac (2004)
  • The dark pond / Joseph Bruchac ; illustrations by Sally Wern Comport. (2004)
  • Hidden Roots / Joseph Bruchac. (2004)
  • Jim Thorpe's bright path / by Joseph Bruchac ; illustrated by S.D. Nelson. (2004)
  • Raccoon's last race : a traditional Abenaki story / Joseph Bruchac & James Bruchac ; pictures by Jose Aruego & Ariane Dewey. (2004)
  • Code talker : a novel about the Navajo Marines of World War Two / Joseph Bruchac. (2005)
  • Foot of the mountain and other stories / Joseph Bruchac ; illustrations by Chris Charlebois. (2005)
  • At the end of Ridge Road / Joseph Bruchac. (2005)
  • Whisper in the dark / Joseph Bruchac ; illustrations by Sally Wern Comport. (2005)
  • Wabi : a hero's tale / Joseph Bruchac. (2006)
  • Geronimo / Joseph Bruchac. (2006)
  • The return of Skeleton Man / Joseph Bruchac ; illustrations by Sally Wern Comport. (2006)
  • Jim Thorpe : original All-American / Joseph Bruchac. (2006)
  • Bearwalker / Joseph Bruchac ; illustrations by Sally Wern Comport. (2007)
  • March toward the thunder / Joseph Bruchac. (2008)
  • Lay-ups and long shots : an anthology of short stories / by Joseph Bruchac. (2008)
  • The girl who helped thunder and other Native American folktales / retold by James Bruchac and Joseph Bruchac ; illustrated by Stefano Vitale. (2008)
  • Buffalo song / by Joseph Bruchac ; illustrated by Bill Farnsworth. (2008)
  • Night wings / Joseph Bruchac ; illustrations by Sally Wern Comport. (2009)
  • Dawn land / story by Joseph Bruchac ; adaptation and art by Will Davis. (2010)
  • My father is taller than a tree / by Joseph Bruchac ; illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin. (2010)
  • Wolf mark / Joseph Bruchac. (2011)
  • Dragon castle / Joseph Bruchac. (2011)
  • Rabbit's snow dance : a traditional Iroquois story / as told by James and Joseph Bruchac ; illustrated by Jeff Newman. (2012)
  • Killer of Enemies / Joseph Bruchac. (Tu Books, 2013)
  • Walking two worlds / Joseph Bruchac. (2015)
  • The Hunter's Promise : An Abenaki Tale / By Joseph Bruchac ; Illustrated by Bill Farnsworth. (2015)
  • Trail of the dead / Joseph Bruchac. (2015)
  • Chenoo: a novel / Joseph Bruchac. (2016)
  • Brothers of the buffalo: a novel about the Red River War / Joseph Bruchac. (2016)
  • (The) Long Run / Joseph Bruchac. (2016)
  • Talking Leaves / Joseph Bruchac. (2016)
  • Arrow of lightning / Joseph Bruchac. (2017)
  • Chester Nez and the unbreakable code: a Navajo code talker's story / Joseph Bruchac ; pictures by Liz Amini-Holmes. (2018)
  • Two roads / Joseph Bruchac. (2018)
  • Giving Thanks / Joseph Bruchac. In anthology Thanku: Poems of Gratitude. Ed. Miranda Paul, illustrated by Marlena Myles. (2019)

Awards and honors

In 1996, Bruchac was awarded the Knickerbocker Award for Juvenile Literature by the New York Library Association. This recognizes "a New York State author who has demonstrated, through a body of work, a consistently superior quality which supports the curriculum and the educational goals of New York State School".[5]

Bruchac's 2004 work, Jim Thorpe's Bright Path, won the Carter G. Woodson Book Award in 2005.[6]

Other honors include a Rockefeller Humanities fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts Writing Fellowship for Poetry, the Cherokee Nation Prose Award, 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. He received the annual NWCA Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999.[1]

References
  1. "Lifetime Achievemenet Awards from the Native Writers Circle of America". Storytellers: Native American Authors Online (hanksville.org/storytellers). Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  2. "Not Recommended: SQUANTO'S JOURNEY: THE STORY OF THE FIRST THANKSGIVING". American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL). Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  3. Google Books search for "Keepers of the Earth". Retrieved 21 November 2009.
  4. Bruchac, Joseph (2006). Code Talker. New York: Speak. ISBN 0-14-240596-5.
  5. New York Library Association. Archived 2012-05-29 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "Carter G. Woodson Book Award and Honor Winners". National Council for the Social Studies. 2008-06-03. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
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