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Writers and Storytellers to gather again
by Terri Hansen
News From Indian Country
An unprecedented number of Indigenous writers gathered for the first, historic Returning the Gift Native Writers Festival in 1992, where the Laguna Pueblo writer, Dr. Lee Francis III recognized the need for an organization that would link beginning writers with more accomplished writers, in a mentoring partnership.
The Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers grew from his vision into an organization beloved by its members. By the end of a decade Wordcraft had gained international recognition with members from over 135 sovereign nations then faltered, with the death of Dr. Francis in 2003.
“After Dad’s passing, we all didn’t quite know what to do,” says his son, Lee Francis IV. Though young and still in school at the time, Lee accepted the responsibility of leading Wordcraft “with a sense of gratitude, perhaps as a way to hold on to him, perhaps as a way to understand his life, perhaps as a way to ensure that his voice was heard ‘throughout the world.’
