David Heska Wanbli Weiden and Kent Nerburn in conversation

Presented by Tampa Bay Literary Society

In his biography of Spotted Tail, David Heska Wanbli Weiden traces the life of the famous Lakota leader who expertly guided his people through a pivotal and tumultuous time in their nation’s history as they fought and then negotiated with the US government. Spotted Tail is remembered for his unique leadership style and deep love for his people. Today, a university is named in his honor.

Against an unflinching backdrop of 90s reservation life in the western Dakotas, Kent Nerburn's Neither Wolf nor Dog tells the story of two men, one white and one Native American, connected by their own understandings of life yet struggling to find a common voice. As they journey together through small Native American towns and down forgotten roads learning to hear the sound of ancestral voices, these two men will travel beyond myth and stereotype, revealing an America few people ever get to see. Nerburn will tell the story of his discoveries in conversation with First Nation writer Weiden.