Two of the three writing Erdrich sisters will be at Bismarck State College at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 3, to read from their works and discuss the BSC Campus Read book by Sherman Alexie, "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian."


The program and book signing by Heid Erdrich and Lise Erdrich takes place in the Student Union Missouri Room. On Tuesday, Nov. 4, they will address BSC English classes.

Heid and Lise, members of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe, often appear together to discuss writing and their storytelling family, which includes sister and novelist, Louise Erdrich. All grew up in Wahpeton and draw on their Ojibwa and German heritage to create within a variety of literary genres.

Heid Erdrich has taught for 20 years, most recently as assistant professor of writing and Native American literature at University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. She is author of three collections of Poetry, "Fishing for Myth," which won a Minnesota Voices award; "The Mother's Tongue" and "National Monuments" (October 2008). Other work includes co-editing "Sister Nations: Native American Women on Community" for the Minnesota Historical Society, essays, juvenile fiction, and a play - "Curiosities: a Play in Two Centuries."


Heid Erdrich has received two Minnesota Arts Board fellowships, awards from The Loft Literary Center and Bush Foundation, and three nominations for the Minnesota Book Award. She and Louise Erdrich recently co-founded a non-profit clearinghouse for indigenous language literature called Birchbark House. Heid graduated from Dartmouth College, has an M.A. in writing from Johns Hopkins University, and is pursuing a doctorate. In 2007, she became a full-time writer and curator of Native American art at Ancient Traders Gallery in Minneapolis.

Lise Erdrich, recipient of a 2007 Bush Foundation Artist Fellowship for non-fiction writing, has written essays, short stories and children's books. Two children's picture books, "Sacagawea" and "Bears Make Rock Soup," were finalists for the Minnesota Book Award. "Sacagawea" won several honors including the International Reading Association Teachers' Choice and Children's Choice awards, Learning Magazine Teachers' Choice Award, and recognition from the National Council on Social Studies.

Her collection of short-short fiction titled "Night Train" was published by Coffee House Press in 2008. Previously published stories in the collection won a variety of prizes: the Minnesota Monthly Tamarack Award, Many Mountains Moving Flash Fiction Contest, and Best of Class/Best of Show in the North Dakota State Fair Writing Contest.

Lise has a B.A. in English from the University of North Dakota and an M.S. in Health Sciences from Minnesota State University. She works as a counselor and certified health education and prevention specialist in Wahpeton, N.D., at the Circle of Nations Wahpeton Indian School, where her parents were teachers.

The Erdrich sisters' appearance is part of the Visiting Writers Series sponsored by the English discipline of the Arts and Communications Department and partially funded by a grant from the BSC Foundation. | save this article / add to your favorites list