Velma Wallis
Velma Wallis, born in 1960, is a Gwich'in Athabascan Indian novelist whose work has been translated into 17 languages.
Raised near Fort Yukon, Alaska, one of thirteen siblings, she left school at thirteen after her father's death to help her mother.
She later earned her GED. Wallis spent years living alone in a wilderness cabin her father had built, developing traditional survival skills including hunting, trapping, and fishing.
Her mother joined her one summer to share traditional knowledge.
These deeply personal experiences shaped her writing, leading to her debut book, which sold 1.5 million copies worldwide.
She now divides her time between Fairbanks and Fort Yukon.
