Celebrated Native American Author to Speak at SUNY Canton

CANTON, NY (11/16/2016)(readMedia)-- A professor and Ojibwe tribal member who has written extensively about the Native American experience will speak at SUNY Canton in November as part of the college's Living Writers Series.

David Treuer, whose work has been published in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Esquire and The Washington Post, will speak at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30, in the Richard W. Miller Campus Center's Kingston Theater. The event is free and open to the public.

In his nonfiction book, "Rez Life," published in 2012, Treuer examines Native American reservation life, past and present, through research into issues like sovereignty, treaty rights and natural-resource conservation.

"David Treuer's words in 'Rez Life' provide a beacon of light much like the North Star that references a navigational point for native and non-native people to traverse the perils that exist in Indian country today," said Professor William T. Jones, SUNY Canton's co-chief diversity officer.

The son of Robert Treuer, a holocaust survivor, and Margaret Seely Treuer, an Ojibwe tribal court judge, David is a 1992 graduate of Princeton University, where his thesis advisor was Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison. He has appeared on NPR's "Fresh Air with Terry Gross" and PBS's "The Tavis Smiley Show."

"David Treuer is an internationally acclaimed voice in Native American literature and we are grateful to host him on the SUNY Canton campus," said SUNY Canton Assistant Professor of English and Living Writers Series creator Phil K. LaMarche. "Please join us for the event to commemorate Native American Heritage Month."

Treuer's visit is co-sponsored by SUNY Canton's Center of Diversity and Inclusion and made possible thanks to grant funding from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

"The Living Writers Series has proven to be a valuable asset to SUNY Canton and the community," LaMarche said. "The NEA grant will help continue our mission of bringing a diverse group of creative artists and intellectual minds to our campus."

The next Living Writers Series speaker will be Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy K. Smith, who will speak at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1.

For more information about the Living Writers Series, visit www.canton.edu/writers.

About SUNY Canton

SUNY Canton is Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and professional certificate programs. The college delivers quality hands-on programs in engineering technology, health, management and public service and recently received number one rankings in library resources, library services and tutoring services in the SUNY Student Opinion Survey. The college's faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses as well as 11 exclusively online bachelor's degrees. The college's 15 athletic teams compete as members of the NCAA Division III.

-www.canton.edu-