I was a very avid reader when I was a child, and I also was a good listener. Joseph Bruchac Read Quote
From my teenage years on, I sought out Native elders from many tribal nations and listened to their words. I also started a small press, The Greenfield Review Press, and became very involved with publishing the work of other American Indian authors, especially books of poetry. Joseph Bruchac Read Quote
I did not walk every step of the Trail of Tears at one time. Instead, over the last 20 years, I have walked various segments of it in Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Joseph Bruchac Read Quote
One of the things I’ve been taught by Native American elders is the importance of patience, of waiting to do things when the time is right. Joseph Bruchac Read Quote
Every year, I travel extensively in the autumn and the spring. I set most of the winter and summer aside for my family and my own tribal relatives. But during that traveling time, I often find myself visiting other native communities around the continent – perhaps a dozen or more each year. Joseph Bruchac Read Quote
The special skills necessary for being a storyteller are really very simple. I actually talked about them in a book of mine called ‘Tell Me a Tale.’ Those basic skills are to listen, to observe, to remember, and to share. Joseph Bruchac Read Quote
My own special knowledge is about the Abenaki people and, to some degree, my Iroquois neighbors. But whenever I write anything about another tribal nation, I always get a lot of help. Not just from books, but from people who belong to that tribal nation. Joseph Bruchac Read Quote
I think I always knew I would be a writer some day, but it wasn’t until I was grown and had children of my own that I turned to telling Native American stories. Joseph Bruchac Read Quote
I grew up in the small town of Greenfield Center, New York, which is in the foothills of the Adirondacks not far from the city of Saratoga Springs. It is a place I love, close to the forests and the mountains. Joseph Bruchac Read Quote
My grandfather, Jesse Bowman, was of Abenaki Indian descent. He could barely read and write, but I remember him as one of the kindest people I ever knew. I followed him everywhere. He showed me how to walk quietly in the woods and how to fish. Joseph Bruchac Read Quote
