Greg Sarris at Oakmont Symposium

Join Last Human Bear author Greg Sarris for his talk at the Oakmont Symposium in November, titled “What the Bear Knows.”

What if the line between humans and the natural world isn’t as fixed as we think? In this mesmerizing talk, acclaimed author and tribal leader Greg Sarris explores storytelling, identity, and our fragile relationship with nature.  This thoughtful talk will touch on part myth, part warning, and part profound reflection on what it means to be human.

Greg Sarris is an enrolled member of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria and is currently serving his seventeenth consecutive elected term as chairman of the tribe. He is the author of several books, including the novel Grand Avenue, which he adapted for an HBO miniseries and co-executive produced with Robert Redford; the novel Watermelon Nights; Weaving the Dream, a biography of Mabel McKay; Becoming Story, a memoir; and the story collections How a Mountain Was Made and The Forgetters. Formerly a full professor of English at UCLA, Sarris serves on the University of California Board of Regents and the Sundance Institute Board, and he holds the Distinguished Emeritus Graton Endowed Chair in Native American Studies at Sonoma State University. He lives in Sonoma County, California. (Photo by Beowulf Sheehan)