Lannan Foundation

Barry Lopez, Poet - Galisteo, Summer 1999

Mr. Lopez’s books include the nonfiction works Arctic Dreams, which won the National Book Award, Of Wolves and Men, and Crossing Open Ground; and the fiction collections Winter Count, Desert Notes, and Field Notes.

Asked to consider the role of the writer, Mr. Lopez has said, “I like to use the word isumatug. It’s of eastern Arctic Eskimo dialect and refers to the storyteller, meaning ‘the person who creates the atmosphere in which wisdom reveals itself.’ I think that’s the writer’s job. It’s not to be brilliant, or to be the person who always knows, but… to be the one who recognizes the patterns that remind us of our obligations and our dreams.”

The recipient of a Lannan Literary Award in Nonfiction, the American Book Award, and the John Burroughs Medal, among other honors, Mr. Lopez lives in rural Oregon. His residency lasted from August 20 to September 10, 1999.