Although Erdrich and Dorris were on two different sides of the world, Erdrich in Boston and Dorris in New Zealand for field research, the two began to collaborate on short stories. He attended one of her poetry readings, became impressed with her work, and developed an interest in working with her. She returned to Dartmouth as a writer-in-residence.Īfter graduating from Dartmouth, Erdrich remained in contact with Michael Dorris. Erdrich later published some of the poems and stories she wrote while in the M.A. She earned the Master of Arts in the Writing Seminars in 1979. In 1978, Erdrich enrolled in a Master of Arts program at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. During that time, she worked as a lifeguard, waitress, researcher for films, and as an editor for the Boston Indian Council newspaper The Circle. While attending Dorris' class, she began to look into her own ancestry, which inspired her to draw from it for her literary work, such as poems, short stories, and novels. During her first year, Erdrich met Michael Dorris, an anthropologist, writer, and then-director of the new Native American Studies program. She was a part of the first class of women admitted to the college and earned a B.A. Another sister, Lise Erdrich, has written children's books and collections of fiction and essays.Įrdrich attended Dartmouth College from 1972 to 1976. Her sister Heidi became a poet and also lives in Minnesota she publishes under the name Heid E. While Erdrich was a child, her father paid her a nickel for every story she wrote. She is also the owner of Birchbark Books, a small independent bookstore in Minneapolis that focuses on Native American literature and the Native community in the Twin Cities.

She was married to author Michael Dorris and the two collaborated on a number of works. In 2021, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her novel The Night Watchman. She was awarded the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction at the National Book Festival in September 2015. She is a 2013 recipient of the Alex Awards.

In November 2012, she received the National Book Award for Fiction for her novel The Round House. In 2009, her novel The Plague of Doves was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and received an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award. She has written 28 books in all, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and children's books. She is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, a federally recognized tribe of the Anishinaabe (also known as Ojibwa and Chippewa).Įrdrich is widely acclaimed as one of the most significant writers of the second wave of the Native American Renaissance. Louise Erdrich ( / ˈ ɜːr d r ɪ k/ ER-drik born Karen Louise Erdrich, June 7, 1954) is an American author of novels, poetry, and children's books featuring Native American characters and settings.

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