Joseph Bruchac

Joseph Bruchac III (b. 1942) is a writer of books relating often to Native American lives and myths. He has published works of poetry, short stories,. He is from Saratoga, New York, and is of Abenaki and Slovak ethnicity. Among his works is the novel "Dawn Land" (1993) and its sequel, "Long River" (1995), which are about an Abenaki warrior living about 10,000 years ago.

With more than 120 books and numerous awards to his credit, Joseph Bruchac is best known for his work as a Native writer and storyteller. However, he was also a varsity heavyweight wrestler at Cornell University and is a former high school and junior high wrestling coach. And, 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 tai chi, capoeira, kung fu wu su, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu with numerous teachers. He does not regard himself as a master.

His two sons, Jim and Jesse, are also martial arts teachers. Jim is a sensei and fourth degree black belt in karate, and Jesse is co-owner of a mixed martial arts academy. (see www.wnymma.com)

Mr. Bruchac lives in Greenfield Center, New York, with Carol, his wife of 42 years, whose oft-repeated mantra to her slightly crazed husband and sons has been: "Please try not to get hurt too much."

Mr. Bruchac is also known for his outstanding ability in the playing of native instruments, which consist of Native American symbolized drums, Native American wooden flute, and the Native American symbolized double wooden flute. The double flute is capable of producing 2 notes at one singular time.

He began writing in 1971 and has collaborated on eight of his novels with his son. His most recent novel has to do with the American Civil War.

Joseph Bruchac has also written "Code talker: A book about the Navajo Marines." Code talkers were in World War II.

Short Author Biography: Joseph Bruchac is a highly acclaimed Abenaki children's book author, poet, novelist and storyteller, as well as a scholar of Native American culture. Coauthor with Michael Caduto of the best-selling Keepers of the Earth series, Bruchac's poems, articles and stories have appeared in over 500 publications, from Akwesasne Notes and American Poetry Review to National Geographic Magazine and Parabola.