1. Louise Erdrich 1954- "People in [Native American] families make everything into a story... People just sit and the stories start coming, one after another. I suppose that when you grow up constantly hearing the stories rise, break, and fall, it gets into you somehow." From and intervierw with Michael Schumacher in Writer's Digest

2. Short Biography Born in 1954, in Little Falls to aFrench Ojibwe mother and German American father Member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Grew up in Wahpeton, North Dakota Parents worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs Entered Dartmouth University in 1972 where she met author,Michael Dorris Taught poetry and writing to young people through parttime position at the State Arts Council of North Dakota Worked a variety of low-paying jobs, from waitressing to weighing trucks on the interstate Received an M.A. degree from the John Hopkins University in 1979 Editor of the Boston Indian Council newspaper, The Circle. Became writer-in-residence at Dartmouth and Dorris in 1981 Began writing collaboratively with husband. First book of poetry, Jacklight, was published in 1984, and was followed by a second collection, Baptism of Fire, in 1989 Husband, Michael Dorris committed suicide in 1997 Lives in Minnesota with her daughters and is the owner of Birchbark Books, a small independent bookstore.

3. Major Themes Draws on her Chippewa heritage to examine Family Sexual relationships Full and mixed blood Native Americans and their struggle with questions of identity in a culture dominated by white European ethnicities

4. Major Works Novels Imagination - 1980 Love MedicineLove Medicine - 1984 Jacklight- 1984 The Beet QueenThe Beet Queen - 1986 Tracks - 1988 Baptism of Desire - 1989 The Crown of Columbus - 1991 (with Michael Dorris) The Bingo PalaceThe Bingo Palace - Erdrich, Louise1994 The Blue Jay’s Dance: A Birth Year - 1995 Tales of Burning Love - 1996 Grandmother’s Pidgeon - 1996 The Antelope Wife – 1998 The last report on the miracles at Little No Horse - 2001 The Master Butcher's Singing Club: A Novel.- 2003 The Painted Drum - 2005 Poetry Jacklight, Holt, 1984. Baptism of Desire, Harper, 1989.

5. Awards and Achievements Best First Fiction Award from the American Academy and Institute of Arts & Letters John Simon Guggenheim Award, 1985. Novel, Love Medicine won the National Book Critics Circle Award Wordcraft Circle Writer of the Year (Prose - Children's Literature) award, 2000 (for The Birchbark House.