Part American Indian, Filipino, and Jewish, Greg Sarris was adopted at birth and raised in both Indian and white families. He is Chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria and the Endowed Chair in Native American Studies at Sonoma State University. His books include Keeping Slug Woman Alive: Essays Toward a Holistic Approach to American Indian Texts (California, 1993), Watermelon Nights (1998), Grand Avenue (1994), and The Sound of Rattles and Clappers: An Anthology of California Indian Writing (1994).