Velma May Wallis (born 1960) is an American writer of Gwich'in Athabascan Indian descent. Her books have been translated into 17 languages.Velma Wallis on Native American Authors
Ipl.org. Retrieved on 2012-02-20.

Early life

Wallis was born and raised in a remote

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

n village near

Fort Yukon Fort Yukon (''Gwichyaa Zheh'' in Gwich'in language, Gwich'in) is a city in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska, straddling the Arctic Circle. The population, predominantly Gwich'in Alaska ...

, approximately northeast of Fairbanks. This location could be accessed only by riverboat, airplane, snowmobile or dogsled.

Personal life

Wallis, who has three daughters and a son, now divides her time between Fairbanks and Fort Yukon.

Awards

* 2003

American Book Award The American Book Awards are an American literary award that annually recognizes a set of books and people for "outstanding literary achievement". According to the 2010 awards press release, it is "a writers' award given by other writers" and "t ...

, for ''Raising Ourselves: A Gwich'in Coming of Age Story from the Yukon territory River'' * 1993

Western States Book Award Western States Book Award honored notable works of fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and translation written and published in the Western United States. The award was given annually from 1984 until 2002. Lifetime-achievement awards were also p ...

Bibliography

* '' Two Old Women: An Alaskan Legend Of Betrayal, Courage And Survival''. Epicenter Press. 1993. . * '' Bird Girl and the Man Who Followed the Sun''. Epicenter Press. 1996. . *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wallis, Velma 1960 births 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American women writers 20th-century Alaska Native people 21st-century Alaska Native people Alaska Native women American Book Award winners American women novelists Native Village of Fort Yukon people Living people Native American novelists Native American women writers People from Fort Yukon, Alaska Writers from Fairbanks, Alaska 20th-century Native American women writers 20th-century Native American writers 21st-century Native American women writers 21st-century Native American writers