Native writers, storytellers and filmmakers from across the country will meet at Cornell University April 2-3 for the third annual Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers Conference.

Hosted by Cornell's renowned American Indian Program (AIP), the conference, which is free and open to the public, will feature workshops, readings and performances.

"The Wordcraft Circle vision is to ensure that the voices of Native writers and storytellers – past, present and future – are heard throughout the world," said author Sierra Adare, a visiting fellow at AIP. "In less than five years, Wordcraft Circle has grown dramatically, with participants from 40 states and three countries representing more than 138 sovereign Native nations."

Conference organizers welcome non-Native participants to the Cornell event, Adare said: "Our goal is not only to encourage young people to carry on the Native traditions of storytelling through written words and plays, but also to educate the public at large about Native customs and traditions so we can bridge some of the gaps in understanding between cultures."

Workshop presentations on Friday, April 2, at Cornell's Townhouse Community Center from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. will include the art of storytelling, poetry, how to publish your writing, narrative essays and plays written from a Native point of view.

Play performances and author readings will be presented Friday evening at Akwe:kon (Mohawk for "all of us"), Cornell's center of Native American culture, from 7:30 to 9 p.m.

On Saturday, April 3, workshops on Native American documentary filmmaking, writing and evaluating Native images in children's literature, tribal government, plays, poetry and nonfiction writing will be presented from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Townhouse Community Center.

Presenters at the conference will be:

• Lee Francis: The national director of the Wordcraft Circle, Francis is author of Native Time: A Historical Time Line of Native America and co-editor of Reclaiming the Vision -- Past, Present, and Future: Native Voices for the Eighth Generation. Director and interim chair of Native American studies at the University of New Mexico, he is Laguna Pueblo. He will open the conference April 2 at 8 a.m. and discuss tribal government April 3 from 1 to 2 p.m.
• Sierra Adare: The award-winning author of eight books, including three children's books, Adare is a regular contributor to Wild West magazine, WREN magazine and New From Indian Country. She is Cherokee and Choctaw and a mentor in the Wordcraft Circle. She will lecture on getting published April 2 from 10:30 to 11:45 a.m. and on nonfiction writing April 3 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
• Annette Arkeketa: An Otoe-Missouria-Muscogee writer from Oklahoma, Arkeketa's play HOKTI has been produced by the Tulsa Indian Actors' Workshop and the Thunderbird Theatre at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kan. She has published a book of poetry, The Terms of a Sister. She will discuss plays from a Native point of view April 2 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. and plays and poetry in action April 3 from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
• Michael Doxtater: Since 1973, Doxtater has written, directed and/or produced 20 documentaries that have appeared on public television in the United States and Canada, some of which have received awards and nominations from the Sundance Festival, Native American Film Festival, Gemini Awards and the Dreamspeakers Festival. He has written children's television drama for the Spirit Bay and Beachcombers network series. A Turtle Clan Mohawk, he is currently a doctoral student in education at Cornell. He will discuss storytelling through Native American documentary filmmaking April 3 from 8 to 9:15 a.m.
• William S. Penn: A professor of English at Michigan State University, Penn is the award-winning author of The Absence of Angels, a novel; All My Sins Are Relatives, narrative essays; As We Are Now: Mixblood Essays on Race and Identity; and The Telling of the World: Native American Stories and Art. He is a regional coordinator and national board member of Wordcraft. He will discuss the narrative essay April 2 from 1 to 2:15 p.m.
• Cheryl Savageau: The recipient of fellowships in poetry from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Artists Foundation, Savageau's poetry has been widely published in literary journals. Her children's book, Muskrat Will Be Swimming, was named a Notable Children's Book by Smithsonian magazine. Her second book of poetry, Dirt Road Home, was a finalist for the 1996 Paterson Prize. She has been a featured reader at poetry festivals and at the Native American Literary Festival in Washington, D.C. She will discuss poetry April 2 from 9 to 10:15 a.m. and writing and evaluative Native images in children's literature April 3 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

The Wordcraft Circle conference at Cornell is sponsored by the Cornell Council for the Arts, the Office of the Dean of Students, the American Indian Program, the English department, the Western New York Consortium and the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers.