Winterkill is the story of Danny Kachiah, a mostly Nez Perce Native American who lives on a reservation near Pendleton supporting himself with his earnings as a rodeo cowboy. Danny's late father, Red Shirt, had been a mystical leader on the reservation and had taught Danny the lore of the woods. After Danny's estranged wife dies in a car crash, he travels to Nebraska to retrieve their teenaged son, Jack, from the Indian boarding school where his stepfather has sent him. The two return to Oregon where Danny tries to use the lessons he learned from Red Shirt to rebuild his relationship with Jack and to make a life "from the dreams of yesterday and the ruins of today's northwestern reservations." The book is a tale of coping with change, of fathers and sons, of modern Native American life, of the salmon, the elk, and the spirit world.

Craig Lesley, a lifelong resident of the Pacific Northwest who was born in The Dalles, is intimately familiar with the areas in Northeast Oregon and Southwest Washington featured in his books. He has written four novels and a memoir of his family, all featuring a strong sense of place and exploring family relationships. Lesley also edited three volumes of short stories featuring the American West. He earned his B.A. at Whitman College, and also has an M.A. from the University of Kansas and an M.F.A. from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. He has taught and served as writer-in-residence at Clackamas Community College, Willamette University, and Lewis & Clark College, and is currently senior writer-inresidence at Portland State University. His awards include National Endowment for the Arts and Bread Loaf fellowships, Best Novel of the Year awards from the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association for two of his novels, a Golden Spur Award from the Western Writers of America; two Pulitzer prize nominations for The Sky Fisherman and for Storm Riders; two National Endowment of the Humanities fellowships to study Native American literature, and an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Whitman College. Lesley lives with his family in Portland, Oregon.

There will be six discussion groups meeting throughout the month of March.

Spirit of Place: A Juried Art Show All Month Northwind Arts Center-Juror Teresa Verraes Opening Reception March 3 (Saturday) 5:30 pm
The show will feature the work of regional artists.